Women's Basketball Set To Face Purdue
Dec 31, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2002
NEW ORLEANS, La. - -
The Tulane women's basketball team will play a ranked opponent for the second straight game on Thursday, as the Green Wave travel to face No. 6 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
Tulane is fresh of a 69-50 upset win over No. 19 Boston College on Sunday. Thursday's game is also Tulane's third against a ranked opponent in its last seven contests. The Wave dropped a 68-53 decision to then-No. 13 Louisiana Tech on Dec. 7.
"We know playing Purdue on the road will present a real challenge for us," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "They always have a great crowd there, so it will be a great experience for our kids before we begin conference play next week."
Tulane enters Thursday's game on a five-game win streak that includes the victory over Boston College and a win over Drake - a Sweet 16 team from a year ago. The Green Wave are 8-2 overall and have won seven of their last eight contests.
Purdue, ranked sixth in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll and seventh by the Associated Press, is 9-1 overall. The Boilermakers opened the season with seven straight wins, including a victory over No. 8 Vanderbilt, before dropping a road contest to UC Santa Barbara. Purdue followed that loss with wins over Boston College and Western Michigan.
Purdue's head coach, Kristy Curry, started her career as an assistant coach at Tulane. Then Kristy Sims, Curry was an assistant for the Wave during the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons.
Tulane and Purdue met last season in what was the first-ever Division I women's college basketball game played in the New Orleans Arena, with the Boilermakers claiming a 64-52 win. Tulane had a 46-45 lead with just over seven minutes to play before Purdue closed the game with a 19-6 run.
Following Thursday's game, Tulane will travel to face SEC opponent Auburn on Sunday.
