March 3, 2006

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• Purdue is the winningest team in Big Ten Tournament history, as it improves to 21-6. Illinois fell to 10-12 all-time in the tournament. Purdue is now 9-3 in quarterfinal matches, while Illinois is 4-4.

• With the win, Purdue advances to its ninth Big Ten Tournament semifinal (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006). The nine semifinal appearances ties Penn State for the most all-time. Purdue has also advanced to eight of last nine semifinals. Purdue has never missed the semifinals in back-to-back years.

• Purdue has won 13 of its last 14 matchups with Illinois. This season, Purdue is 2-0 against Illinois with a regular season win in Champaign, Ill., 57-53, on Jan. 22, 2006.

• Purdue improves to 2-0 all-time against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament. In the 1999 Big Ten Tournament championship game, then-No. 1 Purdue defeated then-No. 3 Illinois, 80-76.

• Purdue head coach Kristy Curry improves to 13-3 in the Big Ten Tournament, while Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz falls to 10-11.

• With Purdue's victory, No. 2 seeds are 7-3 all-time against No. 7 seeds. The last time a No. 7 beat a No. 2 was in the 2003 tournament when Iowa defeated Minnesota, 80-77. No. 2 seeds are 19-7 all-time in the tournament, while No. 7 seeds are 15-13.

• Illinois freshman Lori Bjork moved into fifth on the Fighting Illini single season three-point list with two three-point field goals against Purdue. Bjork has 50 treys on the year to move past Katie Coleman (1996-97), who was fifth with 48.

• Illinois fell to 1-5 against ranked teams this season.

• Illinois' Danyel Crutcher was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field against Purdue. Along with her first round performance of 6-of-10 against Northwestern, Crutcher finished with a 73.3 field goal percentage (11-of-15) for the tournament. That percentage ties for third on the single tournament field goal percentage list with Kellie Koehrig of Michigan State, who was 11-of-15 in 2004. Tangela Smith of Iowa (24-of-32) in 1998 and Courtney Coleman of Ohio State (24-of-32) in 2003 hold the record after shooting 75 percent from the floor.

• Purdue turned the ball over on only five occasions against Illinois. The number ties for the fewest in a single game at the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa also had five turnovers against Purdue on March 3, 1996. The five miscues also mark a season-low for the Boilermakers and is the second fewest in school history.

• Purdue is 4-1 while playing on a neutral court this season. The Boilermakers went 3-1 during the Grand Bahama Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas in November.

• Boilermaker Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton swatted three blocks against Illinois, giving her 55 for the season. That stat ranks six on Purdue's single-season record. She needs one more block to move into a tie for fourth.

• Purdue rookie Jodi Howell returned to action today for the first time in 12 games. The last time she took the court was Jan. 12 at Minnesota. Howell had eight points, two assists and two steals in 13 minutes of action.

• Purdue's 21 rebounds were the fewest by a Boilermaker squad in the Big Ten Tournament and the lowest mark of the season. Purdue's previous low this year was 22 vs. Penn State on Jan. 19.