BTN.com staff, March 2, 2014
The Big Ten women's basketball regular season came to a close Sunday. And the final day was a busy one, as 10 of the conference's teams were in action. Purdue blew by Nebraska, 82-66, in a battle of ranked teams and No. 25 Iowa drilled Illinois, 81-56. Catch up on all the action in this post.
PURDUE 82, NEBRASKA 66 | RECAP | BOX
(AP) Courtney Moses had a season-high 29 points, the injured KK Houser provided an emotional lift and the No. 19 Purdue women spoiled No. 16 Nebraska's Big Ten title hopes with an 82-66 victory Sunday. Despite tearing her ACL at Michigan State on Feb. 2, Houser started the game and played the first 2:34. She also entered the game shortly before the conclusion to be honored as a senior with a standing ovation.
[ MORE: Video: KK Houser, torn ACL and all, makes start on Senior Day ]
IOWA 81, ILLINOIS 56 | RECAP | BOX
(AP) Theairra Taylor scored 17 points and Ally Disterhoft added 14 more to propel No. 25 Iowa to an 81-56 rout over Illinois on Sunday. Leading by 18 at the break, Iowa (23-7, 11-5 Big Ten) continued to pull away in the second half, using a 23-3 run bookended by a Bethany Doolittle layup and a Taylor jumper to take its largest lead of the game, 65-30 with 9:57 to go. The Hawkeyes then protected the advantage down the stretch.
MINNESOTA 74, OHIO STATE 57 | RECAP | BOX
Junior Rachel Banham scored 27 points for the University of Minnesota women's basketball team en route to a 74-57 victory over Big Ten opponent Ohio State to close out the regular season. With the win, the Gophers wrapped up regular season play with a 19-11 overall record and an 8-8 Big Ten record heading into the Big Ten Tournament, while the Buckeyes fell to 15-17 overall and 5-11 in Big Ten play.
NORTHWESTERN 77, WISCONSIN 73 – OT | RECAP | BOX
Northwestern played its first overtime contest of the year Sunday in the 2013-14 regular-season finale and utilized the extra time to take down Wisconsin, 77-73. Four Wildcats finished in double figures with Nia Coffey?s 19 leading the way but Christen Inman was close behind, scoring 18 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line and she had a team-high nine rebounds.
MICHIGAN STATE 76, INDIANA 56 | RECAP | BOX
(AP) Aerial Powers scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 21 Michigan State wrapped up a share of the Big Ten Conference championship with a 76-56 win over Indiana Sunday. The Spartans (21-8, 13-3 Big Ten) entered the final game of the regular season in a three-way tie with Penn State and Nebraska for the conference crown. Penn State clinched a share of the title with a win Saturday, but No. 19 Purdue upset the No. 16 Cornhuskers Sunday, leaving Michigan State to share the title with the Nittany Lions.