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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 26 • 1 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com A s the closing seconds came on her ca- reer, Courtney Moses fought back tears. It had been a hard battle, but one in which Purdue came up short, losing in its quest for a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament by falling to Oklahoma State late Monday night. Moses was a mess by the final horn, leaning into assistant coach Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton on the sideline to prevent from collapsing to the floor. The senior had left it all on the court. And 15 minutes later, she had come to that realization. "We talked in the locker room about all the adversity we've went through," said Mo- ses of the Boilermakers, who had endured the death of three people close to the program during the season. "To hear from people's mouths, those who went through that adversity, to thank us as a team while bawling their eyes out, that means more to me than winning tonight." The Boilermakers, whose season ends with a 22-9 record, couldn't match the physicality of the Cowgirls, a 73-66 winner, seeing their opponent pound them on the boards early, get critical second-chance points and stymie their best second-half comeback attempt. It was a similar story to the last two sea- sons, in which Purdue lost to South Caro- lina in Mackey Arena and Louisville in Lou- isville to prevent a Sweet 16 trip, a destina- tion the Boilermakers have now not been since 2009. The Boilermakers didn't make a lot of excuses after the loss to the Cowgirls, although they could have come up with some. They had lost leading scorer KK Houser in early February, having to retool their team — and doing so with great suc- cess — in only a few days. Afterward, they won seven of their remaining nine games. In the season's first month, junior for- ward Liza Clemons' fiancé was murdered in their hometown of Fort Wayne; then, 15-year-old fan Riley Smith died in January, just before Purdue won a critical game at Nebraska; and longtime school administra- tor Tom Reiter died shortly after, as well. The trials hardened the Boilermakers, and probably helped in more ways than basketball, even though a basketball loss stung, once the season had ended. "You fall short of the Sweet 16 basket- ball-wise," Coach Sharon Versyp said. "But volume 24, eX 26 • march 25, 2014 Inside | Boilers fall in Round 2 6-9 | Bays' big weekend 10–12 Johnson's reasoning; hoops notes 15 | Recruiting news 16-17 Tom Campbell It was not surprising that the emotion of the evening caught up with senior Courtney Moses, who saw her career, which included 93 victories, come to an end at the hands of Oklahoma State. 16.5 The percentage increase in attendance in Mackey Arena compared to the second-round game against South Carolina in 2012. Still, the Boilermak- ers ranked 10th of 13 in attendance of schools playing in their home facility. 240 Three-pointers in Courtney Moses' illustrious Purdue career, a Boilermaker record. 3 Times, in as many opportunities, that the Boilermakers' season has ended in Mackey Arena in the sec- ond round of the NCAA Tournament dat- ing back to 2008. 20 Pizzas Coach Sharon Versyp bought to incentivize Purdue students to attend the Boil- ermakers second-round game against Oklahoma State, a late-night tip. More than 600 students attended. THE NumbErs too soon