INDIANAPOLIS - Purdue's Lakisha Freeman grabbed her own rebound with a second left and beat the buzzer with a 10-foot jumper, giving the third-seeded Boilermakers a 58-56 victory Sunday over Illinois in the Big Ten women's basketball tournament championship.
The victory was only assured after a replay review and set off a wild celebration at midcourt of Conseco Fieldhouse as Purdue (18-14) assured itself of keeping the nation's fifth-longest NCAA tournament streak intact.
"My teammates were shouting it was good," said Freeman, who scored a team-high 12 points. "I trusted them."
Purdue will make its 15th consecutive appearance this year after clinching the conference's automatic bid by defending its 2007 tourney title.
"This shows the heart and great tradition Purdue has," Boilermakers coach Sharon Versyp said. "No one thought we would do it."
Former Bloomington Kennedy athlete Jenna Smith had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois (19-14), which was trying to qualify for the NCAA tournament by winning four games in four days. The Illini, seeded ninth, were the lowest seed ever to reach the Big Ten championship and wore down in the final minutes.
"We performed to the last second," Illini coach Jolette Law said. "I wanted it so badly for them, to make history, to see it, to taste it. This leaves a pit in my stomach."
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