Dec. 17, 1999

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Purdue and Kentucky make history Saturday when they play the firstcollegiate basketball game in the new Conseco Fieldhouse, home to both the NBAand WNBA Indianapolis franchises.

Twelfth-ranked Purdue (7-1) won its third straight game, 79-68, at NorthTexas last Saturday. Kelly Komara led the Boilermakers with 21 points, going8-for-9 from the field, including a 4-for-4 performance from 3-point range.

Camille Cooper added 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots forPurdue, and Katie Douglas chipped in with 17 points and seven assists.

Purdue hit its first seven shots and led 31-16, but North Texas closed thehalf with a 15-4 run to cut it to 35-31.

The defending NCAA champions slowly pulled away to open the second half,then put the game away with a 23-8 run midway through the half.

Kentucky (5-2) is also riding a three-game winning streak after defeatingLiberty, 69-57, last Saturday. Erica Jackson scored a season-high 22 points andShantia Owens recorded her third career double-double with 14 points and 11rebounds.

The Wildcats outrebounded Liberty, 41-24, and scored 46 points in the paintcompared to the Lady Flames 28.

“I’m very proud of our team and the way they hung in there against a verytough squad,” Kentucky coach Bernadette Mattox said. “I’m proud of ourdefensive effort. I’ve been telling them all season to take chances on defenseand they did that and it paid off.”

Purdue is 4-2 in the Boilermaker Blockbuster, winning the last two afterdropping two straight. In the last edition of the classic, the Boilermakersdefeated Louisiana Tech, 71-65, on Dec. 19, 1998.

The game marks the first meeting between Purdue and Kentucky.