1998–99 Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball team

Intercollegiate basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Women's basketball 1998–99 1997–98 1999–00 Purdue Boilermakers Purdue Boilermakers logo.svg Big Ten Conference B1G 1 1 34–1 16–0 Carolyn Peck 2nd Pam Stackhouse Kerry Cremeans Seth Kushkin Stephanie White Ukari Figgs Mackey Arena NCAA Tournament, National ChampionsBig Ten regular season championsBig Ten Tournament champions National Championship Game W 62–45 vs. Duke The 1998–99 Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball team represented Purdue University during the 1998–99 women's college basketball season. Led by 2nd year head coach Carolyn Peck, the team played its home games at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana and were members of the Big Ten Conference. Following their sole loss of the season on the road against Stanford on November 22, Purdue embarked on a 32–game win streak to close out the season, culminating with a 62–45 win over Duke in the National Championship game, giving the school its first ever national championship in basketball, and just the second ever NCAA national championship in school history in any team sport.National Championships https://purduesports.com/sports/2018/5/17/trads-national-championships-html purduesports.com April 29, 2025 Coach Peck was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and was named the AP Coach of the YearHead Coach Carolyn Peck Named AP Coach of the Year https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/Head_Coach_Carolyn_Peck_Named_AP_Coach_of_the_Year purduesports.com April 30, 2025 in what was her last season with the Boilermakers before leaving the program to become the head coach for the Orlando Miracle of the WNBA.https://www.si.com/vault/1999/06/14/262133/miracle-worker-carolyn-peck-won-an-ncaa-title-in-her-second-year-at-purdue-her-next-trick-building-a-brand-new-wnba-team-in-orlando Miracle Worker Carolyn Peck won an NCAA title in her second year at Purdue. Her next trick: building a brand-new WNBA team in Orlando Montville Leigh Sports Illustrated October 31, 2017 June 14, 1999 Season outlook The team returned all 13 players from the previous years squad that had finished 23–10, won the conference tournament, and made it all the way to the Elite Eight during the 1998 NCAA tournament. Led by senior co-captains Ukari Figgs and Stephanie White, expectations were incredibly high going into the season. White led the team in scoring the year prior with 20.6 points per game, while also leading the team in rebounds (6.1 per game) and assists (4.8 per game). Figgs was second on the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game, while setting what was then the school season records in 3-point field goals made (56) and free throw percentage (85.9%). Also returning was sophomore standout Katie Douglas, who played an important role her freshman year as the third leading scorer on the team with 8.6 points per game, while tying the (then) school record for steals in a season by a freshman, tallying 62 steals. Another key return along with Douglas was fellow sophomore Camille Cooper, whose size at 6'4" made her a handful to deal with in the post. She led the team in blocks (38) as a freshman in addition to averaging 6.6 points per game.Women's Basketball 1998-99 Outlook https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/women_s_basketball_1998_99_outlook purduesports.com April 29, 2025 With the entire team coming back after having been denied a trip to the Final Four the season prior, motivation was high and the table had been set for a truly special season in West Lafayette. Season summary Non-conference play The Boilermakers stunned 3-time defending national champion Tennessee in the season opener at home, 78–68, snapping a then 46-game win streak for the Lady Vols.Tennessee's Streak Ended by Purdue https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-nov-16-sp-43486-story.html L.A. Times April 27, 2025 November 16, 1998 L.A. Times Archive Heading out west, the Boilermakers defeated Arizona before going to Palo Alto to play Stanford, where they suffered their first and only defeat of the season. The Boilermakers trailed for the entire game until Katie Douglas hit a layup with 18 seconds left to tie it up at 72–72, but the Cardinal sank a go-ahead free throw with a second left to upset the newly #1 ranked Boilermakers, 73–72.COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Stanford Holds On to Topple Top-Ranked Purdue https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/23/sports/college-basketball-stanford-holds-on-to-topple-top-ranked-purdue.html New York Times April 25, 2025 November 23, 1998 Guzman Ed en Returning from their west coast trip, the Boilers ripped off four straight double digit blowout victories over Valparaiso, Northern Illinois, Ball State, and Ohio, before facing #4 Louisiana Tech in a rematch from the 1998 NCAA tournament, where the Lady Techsters had eliminated the Boilermakers in the Elite Eight, 72–65. This time Purdue prevailed, avenging their loss from the tourney by an almost identical score, 71–65.No. 3 Boilermakers Get Revenge, Beat Louisiana Tech https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/No_3_Boilermakers_Get_Revenge_Beat_Louisiana_Tech purduesports.com April 29, 2025 Following this, the ladies closed out their non-conference schedule on the road, defeating #20 Florida in Gainesville, 84–76. Big Ten play The Boilermakers dominated the Big Ten, finishing undefeated in conference play, just the 2nd time in conference history a team had finished undefeated in conference play; Ohio State finished with an 18–0 conference record during the 1984–85 season. Some highlights of conference play include sweeping the season series with in-state rival Indiana, and defeating #15 Penn State in dramatic fashion on the road in overtime to clinch the conference crown. Ukari Figgs and Katie Douglas both scored 21-points in the contest. Douglas hit two clutch shots down the stretch, hitting the game tying shot with 3 seconds left in regulation and then making the game winning layup with 10 seconds left in OT, securing a 76–74 victory.Women's Hoops Knockoff No. 15 Penn State https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/Women_s_Hoops_Knocks_Off_No_15_Penn_State purdueports.com February 12, 1999 April 29, 2025 On senior night against Ohio State, the Boilers won 88–58 in front of the first ever sellout crowd for a women's basketball game at Mackey Arena.Boilermakers Down Buckeyes https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/Boilermakers_Down_Buckeyes purduesports.com February 14, 1999 April 29, 2025 Purdue finished conference play with two road wins against Minnesota and Northwestern. With the win over Northwestern, Purdue established a new conference record for most consecutive victories with its 23rd straight win. Iowa previously held the record when the Hawkeyes won 22 straight games during the 1987–88 season.Boilers Hit the Road for Two https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/Boilers_Hit_the_Road_for_Two purduesports. February 16, 1999 May 1, 2025 No other team threatened the Boilers, as Penn State, who finished 2nd in the conference standings, finished 4 games back. Big Ten tournament The Boilers entered the Big Ten tournament as the top seed, having finished undefeated in conference play. Making light work of Northwestern and Ohio State in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals respectively, the ladies faced Illinois in the tournament championship game. Trailing by 3 with 2:07 left in the game, Stephanie White knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 74–74, after which the Boilermakers pulled away at the free throw line, securing an 80–76 victory in a tightly contested battle for the conference tournament title, and winning the conference tournament for a second consecutive season. White finished the game with 33-points and was named tournament MVP, while Ukari Figgs and Katie Douglas joined her on the All-Tournament team.Women's Basketball Wins Big Ten Tournament https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/Women_s_Basketball_Wins_Big_Ten_Tournament purduesports.com April 29, 2025 NCAA tournament As conference tournament champions, Purdue was given an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where the Boilers were placed as the number 1 seed in the Midwest region. In the first round, Purdue was victorious over 16th seeded Oral Roberts, winning 68–48. They then defeated 9th seeded Kansas in the second round, 55–41, advancing to the 2nd weekend of the tournament in the process. Leaving the confines of Mackey Arena, they eliminated 4th seeded North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen, winning 82–59. Finally, the ladies defeated 3rd seeded Rutgers in the Elite Eight, 75–62, advancing to the Final Four for just the second time in school history. In the national semifinal, they faced a familiar tournament foe in Louisiana Tech, who were the 1 seed out of the West region. Purdue advanced, defeating the Lady Techsters 77–63, their season ending the same way they had ended the Boilermakers season the year prior. They then faced Duke in the National Championship game. Duke were being coached by former Purdue staff member, Gail Goestenkors; Goestenkors had been an assistant coach at Purdue under former Boiler head coach Lin Dunn from 1986 to 1992. Additionally, two players from Duke, Nicole Erickson and Michele Van Gorp, had previously played at Purdue prior to transferring.https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/29/sports/ncaa-tournament-women-s-championship-purdue-completes-transfer-of-power.html N.C.A.A. Tournament: Women's Championship; Purdue Completes Transfer of Power New York Times October 15, 2017 March 29, 1999 Pennington Bill Purdue emerged victorious, 62–45, securing the school's first ever national championship in basketball. It was also the first NCAA national title by a women's basketball team from the Big Ten.Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - March 18. bigten.org, March 18, 2026. Note: Big ten Teams as of 2026 have won five national championships (USC – 1983, 1984 as a member of the Pac-10; Purdue – 1999; Maryland – 2006 as a member of the ACC; UCLA - 2026 to become the second conference member to win a title). Roster 1998 Purdue Boilermakers w y y Danielle Bird n 15 G 5 7 w Jr Bishop Dwenger Fort Wayne, Indiana Camille Cooper y 42 C 6 4 w So Scott County Georgetown, Kentucky Candi Crawford n 31 F 6 1 w So Homestead Fort Wayne, Indiana Mackenzie Curless n 25 F 6 1 w Jr Martinsville Martinsville, Indiana Katie Douglas y Katie Douglas (basketball) 32 G/F 6 1 w So Perry Meridian Indianapolis, Indiana Michelle Duhart n 33 F 6 0 w Jr Wakefield Arlington, Virginia Ukari Figgs y C 5 G 5 9 w Sr Scott County Georgetown, Kentucky Kelly Komara n 3 G 5 7 w Fr Lake Central Schererville, Indiana Mo-Nique Langston n 41 G/F 5 11 w So Bakersfield North Bakersfield, California Beth Lapaich n 24 F 6 0 w So LaPorte (H.S.) Butler LaPorte, Indiana Connie Murdock n 40 F 6 2 w So Clay South Bend, Indiana Mary Jo Noon n 55 C 6 5 w Fr yes Jeffersonville Clarksville, Indiana Shayla Potter n 21 G 5 6 w Jr Westchester Inglewood, California Amy Schaffer n 52 F 6 0 w Sr Hillsdale Hillsdale, Michigan Stephanie White C y 22 G/F 5 11 w Sr Seeger Memorial West Lebanon, Indiana Tiffany Young n 23 G 5 11 w Jr East Lawrence H.S. Hillsboro, Alabama Carolyn Peck (Vanderbilt) Pam Stackhouse (Louisiana Tech) Kerry Cremeans (Florida) Seth Kushkin (Wisconsin) Schedule and results yes yes 1998-99 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings 1999 |- !colspan=12 style="Purdue Boilermakers"|Non–Conference Regular Season November 15, 1998 4:30 pm ESPN yes 5 Tennessee 1 State Farm Tip–Off Classic Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana White 22 Duhart 11 Tied Duhart, Figgs, White 4 11,788 78–68 1–0 November 19, 1998 yes yes 1 Arizona McKale Center Tucson, Arizona White 23 Duhart 10 Figgs 5 3,076 65–58 2–0 November 22, 1998 yes yes 1 Stanford Maples Pavilion Palo Alto, California White 24 Douglas 7 White 6 4,553 72–73 2–1 November 25, 1998 yes 4 Valparaiso Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana Figgs 20 Douglas 6 Figgs 11 7,920 92–51 3–1 December 4, 1998 yes 4 Northern Illinois Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana Figgs 21 White 9 Douglas 8 8,048 83–55 4–1 December 6, 1998 yes yes 4 Ball State Big 4 Classic Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana White 19 White 8 Figgs 11 3,239 103–58 5–1 December 12, 1998 yes yes 3 Ohio Convocation Center Athens, Ohio Tied Douglas, White 17 Tied Douglas, Komara, White 8 Douglas 6 1,952 92–52 6–1 December 19, 1998 yes yes 3 Louisiana Tech 4 Boilermaker Blockbuster Market Square Arena Indianapolis, Indiana White 25 Duhart 9 Figgs 4 13,547 71–65 7–1 December 21, 1998 yes yes 3 Florida 20 O'Connell Center Gainesville, Florida White 33 Figgs 6 Tied Douglas, White 5 3,188 84–76 8–1 |- !colspan=12 style='Purdue Boilermakers'|Big Ten Regular Season December 30, 1998 3 Minnesota Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana Figgs 15 Tied Duhart, Figgs 7 Douglas 5 9,330 73–52 9–1 1–0 January 5, 1999 3 Penn State 17 Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana White 19 Cooper 7 Figgs 4 7,347 53–48 10–1 2–0 January 10, 1999 yes 3 Iowa Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, Iowa White 16 Tied Douglas, White 8 Douglas 5 4,761 71–69 OT 11–1 3–0 January 12, 1999 3 Northwestern Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana White 20 White 7 White 4 7,466 76–46 12–1 4–0 January 15, 1999 3 Michigan State Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana White 23 Tied Douglas, Duhart, White 6 White 7 3,519 70–47 13–1 5–0 January 18, 1999 yes 3 Illinois Assembly Hall Champaign, Illinois Tied Figgs, White 20 Duhart 7 Tied Figgs, Komara 5 10,092 71–60 14–1 6–0 January 22, 1999 3 Indiana Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana Rivalry Game White 22 White 11 White 10 10,039 97–62 15–1 7–0 January 24, 1999 3 Wisconsin Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana Douglas 19 White 9 White 7 9,960 76–56 16–1 8–0 January 26, 1999 yes 2 Ohio State 19 Value City Arena Columbus, Ohio White 20 Duhart 9 White 5 8,877 64–56 17–1 9–0 January 29, 1999 yes 2 Indiana Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana White 28 Duhart 6 White 6 Rivalry Game 5,503 91–86 18–1 10–0 January 31, 1999 yes 2 Michigan State Breslin Center East Lansing, Michigan Figgs 27 Tied Douglas, White 7 Tied Figgs, White 4 3,519 80–66 19–1 11–0 February 4, 1999 yes yes 2 Providence Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island White 24 Douglas 9 White 6 321 96–67 20–1 February 7, 1999 2 Michigan Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana White 17 Duhart 14 Tied Douglas, Komara, White 3 12,932 70–64 21–1 12–0 February 12, 1999 8:00 pm FSN Chicago yes 2 Penn State 15 Bryce Jordan Center State College, Pennsylvania Figgs 21 Duhart 9 Figgs 4 7,151 76–74 OT 22–1 13–0 February 14, 1999 2 Ohio State Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana Cooper 19 Cooper 13 White 6 14,123 88–58 23–1 14–0 February 19, 1999 yes 2 Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota White 20 Figgs 8 White 7 4,902 63–61 24–1 15–0 February 21, 1999 yes 3:00 pm FSN Chicago 2 Northwestern Welsh–Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois Figgs 21 Douglas 9 White 7 2,479 71–62 25–1 16–0 |- !colspan=12 style="Purdue Boilermakers"|Big Ten Tournament February 27, 1999 12:00 pm FSN Chicago yes yes 1 1 Northwestern 9 RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana Quarterfinals White 24 Tied Cooper, Douglas 8 Tied Figgs, White 6 7,317 79–56 26–1 February 28, 1999 1:00 pm FSN Chicago yes yes 1 1 Ohio State 4 RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana Semifinals Figgs 21 Duhart 7 Figgs 5 6,123 72–59 27–1 March 1, 1999 7:30 pm ESPN2 yes yes 1 1 Illinois 3 RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana Championship Game White 31 Douglas 11 Figgs 6 6,459 80–76 28–1 |- !colspan=12 style="Purdue Boilermakers"|NCAA Tournament March 13, 1999 8:30 pm ESPN2 yes yes 1 1 MW Oral Roberts 16 MW Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana First Round Cooper 19 White 8 White 6 9,169 68–48 29–1 March 15, 1999 7:30 pm ESPN2 yes yes 1 1 MW Kansas 8 MW Mackey Arena West Lafayette, Indiana Second Round Douglas 15 Douglas 9 Douglas 3 9,501 55–41 30–1 March 20, 1999 8:00 pm ESPN yes yes 1 1 MW North Carolina 14 4 MW Redbird Arena Normal, Illinois Sweet Sixteen Figgs 24 Figgs 7 Douglas 8 9,041 82–59 31–1 March 22, 1999 7:00 pm ESPN yes yes 1 1 MW Rutgers 9 2 MW Redbird Arena Normal, Illinois Elite Eight White 22 Douglas 6 Tied Figgs, White 4 8,844 75–62 32–1 March 26, 1999 9:30 pm ESPN yes yes 1 1 MW Louisiana Tech 3 1 W San Jose Arena San Jose, California Final Four Figgs 24 Figgs 10 Tied Figgs, White 4 17,773 77–63 33–1 March 28, 1999 9:00 pm ESPN yes yes 1 1 MW Duke 10 3 E San Jose Arena San Jose, California National Championship Game Figgs 18 Cooper 9 Tied Douglas, Duhart, White 2 17,773 62–45 34–1 AP Poll Eastern Time. MW = Mid-West, W = West, E = East Source:http://www.purduesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/archive/pur-w-baskbl-stats98.html Purdue Women's Basketball Statistics October 15, 2017 Purdue Sports September 7, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150907123724/http://www.purduesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/archive/pur-w-baskbl-stats98.html dead Player statistics +Individual player statistics (Final)MinutesScoringTotal FGs3-point FGsFree-ThrowsReboundsPlayerGPGSTotAvgPtsAvgFGFGAPct3FG3FAPctFTFTAPctOffDefTotAvgAStlBlkTOBird, Danielle120403.330.216.16712.50004 .000 2020.231 0 2 Cooper, Camille353479222.63419.7149232.64200.0004386 .500 72991714.9516 54 60 Crawford, Candi3102478.0591.91938.50000.0002141 .512 19 23421.415 0 11 Curless, Mackenzie2912458.4782.73063.47600.0001825.7201717341.245115Douglas, Katie3535117833.749314.1175376.4652263.349121148.818631542176.21249117101Duhart, Michelle3535104729.91303.75392.57600.0002446.522941051995.72556653Figgs, Ukari3535123535.357016.3175441.39769202.342151175.863371211584.514758884Komara, Kelly35061217.51875.358144.4032663.4134566.6822168892.56640542Langston, Mo-Nique90212.3131.459.55612.500221.0002240.41305Lapaich, Beth4041.000.001.00000.00000.0000000.01001Murdock, Connie170754.4211.2715.46700.000712.58388160.93547Potter, Shayla1011.000.001.00000.00000.0000110.10001Schaffer, Amy100282.860.628.25000.00023.6671010.10002White, Stephanie3535125835.970720.2254524.46862142.437155195.795681201885.41567817116Young, Tiffany3302678.1682.12578.321522.2271325.5201027371.11111113TEAM56821384.15Total357050267676.59442028.465186496.375602828.727470827129737.1547369113518Opponents357050209960.08171967.415143433.330322509.633419750116933.446623199677 Legend  GP  Games played  GS  Games started Avg  Average per game  FG Field-goals made FGA Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds Def Defensive rebounds  A Assists  TO Turnovers Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals Source: Rankings 1998–99 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings AP 0 17 5 1 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 Awards and honors In-season awards Name Award Date Katie Douglas Big Ten Player of the Week February 14, 1999 Stephanie White Big Ten Player of the Week November 15, 1998 December 27, 1998 January 17, 1999 January 31, 1999 Post-season awards Camille Cooper All–Big Ten Honorable Mention (media) NCAA Tournament All–Mid-West Regional Team Katie Douglas All–Big Ten Second Team (coaches and media) NCAA Final Four All–Tournament Team Michelle Duhart All–Big Ten Honorable Mention (media) Ukari Figgs All–Big Ten First Team (coaches and media) AP Honorable Mention All-American NCAA Tournament All–Mid-West Regional Team NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Kelly Komara All–Big Ten Freshman Team Stephanie White Big Ten Player of the Year (coaches and media) All–Big Ten First Team (coaches and media) Consensus All–American First Team Wade Trophy Recipient Naismith Award Finalist NCAA Tournament Mid-West Regional Most Outstanding Player NCAA Final Four All–Tournament Team Source:1998-99 Women's Basketball Awards and Achievements https://purduesports.com/news/1999/6/21/1998_99_Women_s_Basketball_Achievements_And_Honors purduesports.com April 30, 2025 References Purdue Category:Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball seasons Purdue Purdue Purdue Category:NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Category:NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament championship seasons