Purdue Boilermakers
Big Ten (24-8, 11-5)
Purdue had some highs and lows during the regular season. Their schedule started out extremely tough, but the experienced Boilermakers managed to secure a couple quality wins over Kansas State and Texas A&M. The Big Ten slate began with some of the easier games and the Boilermakers were brought back down to Earth by February. Still, this is a group that had a great year and will look to go further in the NCAA Tournament than they did last season.
Big Wins: 11/25 vs Kansas State (46-42), 12/4 Texas A&M (60-51), 2/23 at Michigan (60-49)
Bad Losses: 12/11 at Central Michigan (62-75), 1/28 at Iowa (42-59), 2/2 Nebraska (89-93)
Coach: Sharon Versyp (6 seasons at Purdue)
Why They Can Surprise:
This may not be the most efficient shooting team around, but Coach Sharon Versyp has plenty of options in the backcourt. It all starts with senior Brittany Rayburn who is the best shooter and all-around scorer on the team. Courtney Moses has hit a bit of a sophomore slump from beyond the arc, but she is still a good scorer and very dangerous when her shot is falling. KK Houser epitomizes the inconsistency and the potential of this group. The 5-6 sophomore is a decent shooter, albeit streaky, and has the explosive ability to get to the basket and finish or find her teammates. But for every assist there seems to be a turnover, but she tries to make up for it by racking up the steals.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The frontcourt had to get by without Drey Mingo for part of last season, but she made an amazing comeback. There is no comeback this season from a torn ACL. Sam Ostarello, a 6-2 forward, has done a great job on the glass and is a decent interior scorer. Center Chelsea Jones has the size to make life difficult for anybody trying to get into the paint and will block some shots. However, she is not much of a scorer and not a very strong rebounder either. Lacking depth in the frontcourt has hurt Purdue mostly on the glass. Alex Guyton is the only other forward who sees any significant playing time. The backcourt has enough scoring pop to make up for Mingo’s absence in that regard, but there just are not enough bodies to make up for her rebounding.
Probable Starters:
KK Houser, Sophomore, Guard, 9.7 ppg, 3.6 apg, 2.5 spg
Courtney Moses, Sophomore, Guard, 10.4 ppg, 2.1 apg
Brittany Rayburn, Senior, Guard, 14.9 ppg, 2.0 apg, 4.2 rpg
Sam Ostarello, Junior, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Chelsea Jones, Senior, Center, 3.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Alex Guyton, Senior, Forward, 5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Antionette Howard, Senior, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Chantel Poston, Junior, Guard, 4.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Dee Dee Williams, Sophomore, Guard, 1.3 ppg, 1.0 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 64.7 (122nd in nation, 7th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 57.7 (81, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 39.6 (135, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 35.3 (31, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.0 (233, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 29.2 (186, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.8 (42, 5)
Rebound Margin: -0.1 (173, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (58, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.3 (171, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Purdue 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Kansas State
Purdue 2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Connecticut
Purdue 2010 NIT Round of 64 win over Eastern Michigan
Purdue 2010 NIT Round of 32 loss to Illinois State
Purdue 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Charlotte
Purdue 2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over North Carolina
Purdue 2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Rutgers
Purdue 2009 NCAA Regional Final loss to Oklahoma
Purdue 2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Utah
Purdue 2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Tennessee
Purdue 2007 NCAA Round o 64 win over Oral Roberts
Purdue 2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Georgia Tech
Purdue 2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Georgia
Purdue 2007 NCAA Regional Final loss to North Carolina
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
