Utah missed three layups on ensuing possession and never recovered.

"That was a big possession for us. Those are shots we usually make," said Mitchell. "We got the open looks we wanted. They just didn't go in for us. I wish I had an answer."

Malone then hit two free throws to increase Purdue's lead. It eventually swelled to 11 points down the stretch. The Utes were held scoreless for more than three minutes at one point and managed just a single free throw over a span of 5:06.

When the drought finally ended — on a shot by Mitchell with 2:27 remaining — Utah was down 60-55. Purdue responded with a 3- pointer by Bogdanova and a 6-0 burst to keep the game out of reach.

The Utes, who wound up outrebounding the bigger, taller Boilermakers by a 35-27 margin, simply didn't get enough production in other aspects of the game. Purdue had four players score in double-figures and netted 21 points off of 16 Utah turnovers. The Boilermakers shot 54.2 percent in the second half, while the Utes' accuracy was just 35.7 percent from the field — including a paltry 1-of-9 from 3-point range.

"It's frustrating when we are executing our game plan and certain shots don't fall and calls don't go our way towards the end of the game," said Warburton. "It could have been anyone's game at that point. Unfortunately it fell for Purdue."

Utah led 29-28 at halftime after a late rally. The Utes held the Boilermakers to just one basket over the final 4:07 to erase a six-point deficit. Warburton sparked the comeback with seven consecutive points, and Mitchell capped things off with a 3-pointer.

The lead changed hands eight times in the first half. The biggest swing came during a four minute stretch when Purdue reeled off nine straight points to take a 23-17 advantage. Kalika France, who had a game-high 12 points before the break, made three baskets during the run as the Boilermakers capitalized on three missed shots and a trio of turnovers by the Utes. The latter, as well as eight offensive rebounds, helped Purdue remain in contention despite shooting just 33 percent from the field and being outrebounded 16-15.

Utah shot 52.2 percent from the floor but forced only four turnovers on the defensive end. Mitchell paced the Utes with 10 points, five assists and three rebounds in the first half.

"Their tempo in the first half really set the tone. It's not our type of tempo," said Purdue coach Sharon Versyp. "But in the second half we started playing our type of game, which obviously is to get up and down the floor a little bit and to get Danielle (Campbell) down low. Being able to change the tempo was what enabled us to win at the end."

France and Malone topped Purdue with 17 points apiece, while Campbell and Bogdanova added 14 and 12, respectively.

Warburton led all scorers with 18 for Utah. Mitchell and Kalee Whipple each added 14.

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com