GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) -- Cara Consuegra celebrated her birthday with a Big Ten tournament championship.
Consuegra scored 17 points, including seven free throws in the final 37 seconds, as Iowa beat Purdue 75-70 Sunday in the Big Ten title game.
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| Title Smile: First-year Iowa women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder, holding her daughter Hannah, 3, shows a big smile after cutting down the net Sunday night. |
"This was by far the best birthday present I ever had," said Consuegra, who was named the tournament's most valuable player on her 22nd birthday.
Purdue (26-6; No. 7 ESPN/USA Today; No. 8 Associated Press) had won three consecutive conference tournaments.
Consuegra shot 11-for-14 from the line. Randi Peterson had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Leah Magner added 10 points for the Hawkeyes (20-9; No. 23 Associated Press).
"Cara was always in control of the game. She controlled the tempo," first-year Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "I think she is playing the best basketball of her life."
Purdue seniors -- Katie Douglas, Shinika Parks, Candi Crawford, Mo-nique Langston and Camille Cooper -- had never lost a game in the tournament.
Douglas, the conference's player of the year for the second consecutive season, had 23 points and shot 9-for-11 from the line. Cooper had 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor.
Shalicia Hurns had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Purdue.
Every time Purdue appeared poised to take control of the game, Iowa picked up a key basket or rebound, or forced a turnover.
"I think the disappointing part was there were so many loose balls that didn't go our way," Purdue coach Kristy Curry said.
The Hawkeyes, winners of six consecutive games and 12 of their last 13, wore down Purdue in the game's final moments as the Boilermakers sent Consuegra to the foul line.
Purdue led 65-53 after Erika Valek hit a 3-pointer with 3:33 left. But Iowa scored eight consecutive points to take a 71-65 advantage with 24.2 seconds remaining.
Consuegra shot 7-for-8 from the line and accounted for the Hawkeyes' last seven points.
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| Coming down: Iowa senior Randi Peterson cuts the net after the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten tournament Championship Sunday. |
Purdue led 33-30 at halftime.
Magner hit a 3-pointer with 12:28 left in the first half as Iowa closed to a point, 14-13. Purdue then ran off eight consecutive points for a 22-13 lead at the 9:12 mark. Douglas scored six of her 11 first-half points during the run.
Iowa responded by scoring 10 consecutive points, four each from Peterson and Beatrice Bullock, for a 23-22 lead with 5:34 remaining in the half.
In the first period, Purdue shot 52 percent (13-for-25) from the field, but only 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from the line.
Peterson had 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in the half.