Sophomore CeCe Hooks finished with seven rebounds, five assists and five steals — pacing the team in each category — to go along with a career-high 31 points as the Ohio women handled Purdue for the second straight season on Wednesday, winning this one at home 80-73.
But, it wasn’t the win itself as much as it was the more subdued, matter-of-fact way the Bobcats performed the encore, against a team that was coming off a victory over no. 21-ranked Miami, Fla., no less.
Trailing entering the second quarter, Ohio went on an 18-3 run over a six-minute stretch, eventually taking a 15-point lead into halftime and withstanding a series of second-half surges, never letting the Boilermakers (6-3) inch to within eight points the rest of the way.