SAN JOSE, Calif. -- While using a great second-half effort to pick up a national title with a 62-45 win over Duke, Purdue guard Ukari Figgs wasted no time making people forget her role in the dreariest half ever in a women's final.

With her team down five at the half thanks to 28 percent shooting, the senior guard blasted toward the hoop for her first two points just 17 seconds after intermission.

Thirty-seven seconds later, Figgs again blasted past Duke guard Hilary Howard.

At that point, the die was cast. Figgs, who missed all seven of her field-goal attempts as both teams combined for an all-time low 39 first-half points, would no longer settle for jump shots. She would dominate on the offensive end just as she had on the other end.

Six of her seven first-half attempts came outside the paint. In the second half, mostly driving to the hole, she scored all of her game-high 18 points, hitting five of eight shots and eight of nine free throws.

"I knew I let my team down in the first half," Figgs said. "I wasn't being aggressive."

During this Final Four week, Figgs, only an honorable mention on the All-America team, was the player pegged as deserving of more respect as the other half of the backcourt duo including All-American Stephanie White-McCarty.

There's no stage like a Final Four to raise one's profile, and that's exactly what Figgs did. In beating Louisiana Tech on Friday night, she had 24 points and keyed a Boilermakers' defense that slowed the Lady Techsters' running game to a crawl.

Defensively, Figgs continued to dominate against Duke.

Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said that her team was unable to get into its offense, and ended with 20 turnovers. Figgs was guarding point guard Howard, who gave Figgs partial credit for the team's troubles in holding on to the ball.

"But I think that a lot of it was just nerves and our offense got stagnated," Howard said.

Whatever the case, Duke couldn't find the basket much better than Purdue could, so the game was close enough for Figgs to once again take over the game. She gladly obliged.

"I just knew I had 20 minutes to be a winner or a loser and I didn't want to be a loser," said Figgs. "I just wanted to spark my team."

Figgs was the one who gave Purdue its first lead of the game, 32-30, on a drive with 12: 55 remaining. Then, after White-McCarty went out with an ankle sprain with 4: 02 left, Figgs made another big play.

She stole the ball from Nicole Erickson, and then drew a foul on Erickson, disqualifying Duke's most viable outside threat with Purdue up 10. She then went on to make six free throws in a row.

"Ukari Figgs showed that she was the leader she is," Purdue coach Carolyn Peck said. "She stepped up big and the others followed suit. It's been that way all year long. She gets that look in her eye and the rest of the team follows her."

Pub Date: 3/29/99