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Purdue coach Versyp wins in first meeting with former team

Jan 15, 2007 - 3:33 AM WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Ticker) -- Katie Gearlds made the most of a tough situation for coach Sharon Versyp.

Gearlds scored 20 points as No. 13 Purdue posted a 73-51 Big Ten Conference victory over Indiana, giving Versyp a win in her first meeting with her former team.

A former player with the Boilermakers, Versyp became Purdue's coach last April after spending one season with the Hoosiers, guiding them to a 19-14 record and a 9-7 league mark.

Although it may have been an emotional situation for Versyp, Gearlds made the loss for Indiana (13-6, 2-4 Big Ten) a foregone conclusion, shooting 7-of-14 to reach 20 points for the ninth time this season.

FahKara Malone scored 15 points and Erin Lawless added 14 for Purdue (16-3, 5-0), which grabbed a 33-24 lead at the half before improving to 9-0 at home.

Although they shot just 37 percent (23-of-62) from the floor, the Boilermakers held a 52-34 advantage on the boards, turning 19 offensive rebounds into 25 second-chance points. Reserve center Danielle Campbell finished with a career-high 14 boards.

Nikki Smith scored 13 points and Whitney Thomas 10 for the Hoosiers, who were held to 29 percent (19-of-65) from the field, including 5-of-20 (25 percent) on 3-pointers.