March 7, 2008

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Fahkara Malone refused to let a nagging injury slow her down in the Big Ten tournament.

Indiana couldn't slow her down either.

Purdue's smallest player, at 5-foot-3, accepted the biggest burden of all Friday, scoring a career-high 26 points and igniting a late 13-0 run to lead third-seeded Purdue past the rival Hoosiers 64-54 in the quarterfinals.

And until she winced just before the postgame news conference started, Malone never showed she was hurting from a sore groin.

"It's something that's gotten progressively worse over the last couple of weeks, but if nobody noticed, that's good," she said. "When you're defending the title, you've got to be ready to play any one, any time."

Malone certainly lived up to her motto against the Hoosiers.

She played all 40 minutes, was 8-of-20 from the field, hit 7-of-16 free throws, had four assists and constantly created havoc in the passing lanes for Indiana.

Most significant, however, was her defense. She finished with eight steals, tied for the second most in tourney history with Purdue's Michelle Duhart in 1998, and just two short of Janel McCarville's record set in 2004.

Her relentless defensive pressure allowed Purdue (16-14) to salvage its postseason hopes alive for at least another day. The Boilermakers, the defending tourney champs, now face second-seeded Iowa in Saturday's semifinals. The Hawkeyes beat Michigan 58-37 earlier Friday.

While reaching the semis is not new to the Boilermakers, the stakes are unusually high this year. Purdue has made the NCAA tournament every year since 1994 and will need at least one more victory, and likely the tournament title, to extend its streak of consecutive NCAA appearances to 15.

So Malone left nothing to chance Friday, using everything including her unusually small frame to help Purdue.

"Indiana is a great penetrating team and they can all put the ball on the floor and go to the basket," she said. "I'm just small enough that I can get the ball before it gets back into their hands."

The Hoosiers (18-14) didn't couldn't measure up.

With Malone attacking the basket and finding open teammates, her defense proved the difference.

Indiana scored just four points in the final 4:47 after taking a 50-48 lead. Not even Amber Jackson, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds, could get the Hoosiers righted as they again tried to make the case they deserve an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.

"I hope we'd be considered for postseason because I think this team is getting better," coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. "We'd welcome any opportunity for this young team to get more experience."

But it was Malone and the lack of experience that proved costly against Purdue.

Holding a 27-26 halftime lead, the Boilermakers appeared to take control early in the second half with a 7-0 run. That gave Purdue a 38-33 lead.

Eventually, Indiana's Whitney Thomas led the Hoosiers back. She opened a 9-0 run with a steal and layup, then gave the Hoosiers a 44-42 lead when she completed a three-point play with 8:12 to go.

Purdue tied the score again at 48, and Jackson put in a layup to give Indiana a 50-48 lead with 4:47 left.

But it was all Malone and Purdue after that.

Malone's steal and layup broke a 50-50 tie, and she followed that with a 3-pointer that got the 13-0 run in motion. When it ended, Purdue led 61-50 and the Hoosiers never challenged again.

"She's been the catalyst for this team and she just continues to make this team better," Purdue coach Sharon Versyp said of Malone. "She was in a zone tonight, but the whole team just followed Fahkara."

Right through the pain, right through the dissatisfaction of a closing six-game stretch in which the Boilermakers lost four times, and right into the Big Ten semifinals -- just as Malone and her teammates scripted it.

"It was just like get her the ball," said Purdue forward Lakisha Freeman, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. "We don't expect anything less from her."