Sun Mar 23 22:33:38 2008

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Purdue bounces Utah

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West Lafayette, IN (Sports Network) - Kalika France and FahKara Malone netted 17 points apiece and the ninth-seeded Purdue Boilermakers upended the eighth- seeded Utah Utes, 66-59, in the first round of the Oklahoma City Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Danielle Campbell contributed 14 points for Purdue (19-14), while Natasha Bogdanova had 12 points and four boards. The Boilermakers will square off with either Tennessee or Oral Roberts in the second round.

Leilani Mitchell turned in 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds for Utah (27-5), which dropped its second straight outing following a 22-game winning streak. Morgan Warburton headed the Utes with 18 points and seven boards, while Kalee Whipple notched 14 points and nine rebounds.

Purdue overcame a 17-14 deficit in the first half with an 11-0 run, but the Utes used a late 7-0 spurt to carry a narrow 29-28 lead into the break.

The Boilermakers shot 54 percent from the field in the second half and used a 6-0 spurt late in the frame to capture the seven-point victory.