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| Purdue's Kelly Komara breaks away from Louisiana Tech's Ayana Walker. (AP Photo/David Umberger) |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Nov. 20) - Louisiana Tech freshman guard Amber Obaze went from rags to riches in just minutes Nov. 20 in the Lady Techsters 68-63 win over No. 4 Purdue in the championship game of the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament.
The Dallas, Texas, native shook off two rookie mistakes - Obaze committed two ill-advised fouls that sent Purdue's Katie Douglas to the free throw line in the final three minutes - to hit a game-clinching three-pointer with only :24 remaining in the contest. Obaze's trey came as the shot clock ran down and was made over the outstretched hands of two Boilermaker defenders, giving Tech a 64-59 lead.
Obaze's heroics came after Purdue had fought back from a 59-47 disadvantage with 4:47 remaining in the game to tie the contest at 59-59 at the 1:56 mark. The 5-foot-9 guard connected on two of four free throws to give Tech a 61-59 lead before hitting the big three.
"This team really grew up a lot this weekend," said Tech head coach Leon Barmore. "We showed a lot of courage to be able to win this tournament on the home court of Purdue. We didn't play perfect, but the effort was incredible."
The first half was a back and forth affair as Tech built a 22-18 lead with 5:10 remaining before the Boilermaker outscored the Lady Techsters 14-5 to end the first stanza ahead 32-27.
After increasing the lead to 34-27 to start the second half, Tech went on a 23-6 run over the next nine minutes to gain a 50-40 advantage and the momentum.
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| Purdue's Katie Douglas goes for the steal against Louisiana Tech's Amber Obaze during their Preseason NIT championship game. (AP Photo/David Umberger) |
Obaze finished the contest with 16 points. Junior co-captains Ayana Walker (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Brooke Lassiter (12 points, four assists) earned all-tournament team honors while Walker was named tournament MVP.
"Ayana and Brooke both showed why they are the team leaders," Barmore said. "Ayana struggled in the first half but came out in the second half and took over in one stretch. If it wasn't for those two we wouldn't have had a chance to win."
Katie Douglas' 22 points led Purdue, while Camille Cooper chipped in with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
With the victory Tech won its second Preseason WNIT - the Lady Techsters captured the 1996 title - and increased its overall record to 8-0 in the tournament.
