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Purdue stops UW

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. — KK Houser scored 17 points to help No. 18 Purdue beat Wisconsin 63-52 on Thursday night.

Houser also had five steals and four assists as the Boilermakers (13-3, 3-0 Big Ten) won their sixth straight game.

Sam Ostarello had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Antionette Howard added 12 points for the Boilermakers, who entered the night tied with Ohio State and Nebraska for the Big Ten lead.

Anya Covington tied a career high with 19 points and Jade Davis added 10 for the Badgers (4-11, 0-3), who lost their sixth straight game overall and their fourth straight against a ranked opponent.

Wisconsin’s Taylor Wurtz, who entered the game averaging 16.1 points per game, was held scoreless on 0-for-10 shooting. She had reached double figures in every game this season.

The Badgers had won three straight against Purdue and swept the Boilermakers last season.

Purdue shot 57 percent in the first half to lead 36-25 at the break. Houser had 11 points, four steals and three assists in the first half, while Wurtz went scoreless and missed all seven of her field-goal attempts.

Purdue continued its strong shooting early in the second half. Baskets by Ostarello and Brittany Rayburn and two free throws by Ostarello pushed the lead to 42-29. A basket by Ostarello a few minutes later increased the advantage to 16.

Wisconsin finally got its offense rolling as Covington scored six points in a run that cut Purdue’s lead to single digits. A three-point play by Covington and a layup by Davis trimmed the Boilermakers’ advantage to 50-44.

Purdue led 54-47 before holding the Badgers scoreless for more than six minutes to put the game out of reach.