Jan. 6, 2007
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AUSTIN, Texas -
Purdue at Texas - Big Ten / Big 12 Challenge
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Date: January 7, 2007
Arena: Frank Erwin Center (16,775)
Location: Austin, Texas
Television: ESPN2, Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Nancy Lieberman (color)
Radio: WLFF, 95.3 FM, Tim Newton (play-by-play) and Sara White (color commentary)
Internet: All games can be heard on purduesports.com. Click on the listen button under events or on the women's basketball schedule.
Rankings: Purdue is ranked 10th in the Associated Press and 11th in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Texas is not ranked.
Series: Purdue leads 2-1.
Coaches: Purdue - Sharon Versyp (Purdue '89) is 14-2 in her first year at Purdue and 131-67 in her seventh season overall.
Texas- Jody Conradt (Baylor '63) is 775-235 in her 31st year at Texas and 892-297 in her 38th year overall.
Purdue at Texas
The No. 10/11 Boilermakers (14-2, 3-0) opened Big Ten play with home wins over Michigan and Penn State followed by a 68-58 win at Iowa on Jan. 3. Purdue is led by senior guard Katie Gearlds who is averaging 18.4 points per game, second-highest in the Big Ten. Junior forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton is Purdue's second leading scorer and leading rebounder at 14.2 ppg and 8.1 rpg while blocking a team-high 3.3 shots per game. Also averaging double-figure points for Purdue is senior Erin Lawless at 12.3 ppg. Purdue is ranked first in the conference and in the top ten nationally in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, holding teams to an average of 51.7 points per game and 32.3 percent shooting. The Boilermakers, who won the Preseason WNIT are ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press and No. 11 in the USA Today/ESPN poll.
Texas is 10-4 after dropping its Big 12 opener at home against Nebraska, 79-75. The Longhorns, coached by Jody Conradt in her 31st season at Texas, are led by senior forward Tiffany Jackson who averages a team-high 20.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Also averaging double-digit points is sophomore guard Erika Arriaran at 10.5 ppg. Texas averages 69.6 points per game and 38.5 rebounds while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 39.8 from three-point range. The Longhorns had won three straight games before falling to Nebraska.
A Boilermaker Win Would...
- increase their winning streak to eight games
- make them 15-2 in 2006-07
- bring Coach Versyp's record to 15-2 at Purdue and 132-67 all-time
- improve them to 601-321 all-time
- improve their series lead to 3-1 against Texas
- move them to 11-7 all-time against Big 12 opponents
Previous Meetings
The Boilermakers hold a 2-1 edge over the Longhorns. The last time the two teams met was Nov. 19, 2000, in West Lafayette. Purdue was ranked No. 4 and defeated the unranked Longhorns, 71-49. It had been over 10 years since the two teams had squared off against one another. Purdue faced Texas on Nov. 27, 1989 and the eighth-ranked Boilermakers were knocked off by the 11th-ranked Longhorns, 89-61. The first meeting between the two teams was just the season before, Nov. 26, 1988 with the unranked Boilermakers recording a major upset by defeating No. 3 Texas 76-71 in Mackey Arena.
Purdue Vs. The Big 12 Conference
The Boilermakers are 10-7 against Big 12 teams, including a 69-55 victory at Baylor for the Preseason WNIT championship on Nov. 19, 2006. Purdue has winning records against Baylor (1-0), Kansas (2-1), Kansas State (2-0), Texas (2-1), Texas A&M (2-0) and Texas Tech (1-0). Big 12 schools Colorado (0-2), Iowa State (0-1) and Oklahoma (0-2) have winning records against the Boilermakers.
No. 600
Purdue recorded its 600th victory in the win Jan. 3 at Iowa. The Boilermakers entered the season with a 586-319 record and the 14th win this season gave them the 600 win milestone. Purdue won its 500th game against Iowa on Jan. 23, 2003 in Mackey Arena, 83-64. Purdue's first victory came under head coach Deborah Gebhardt when the Boilermakers defeated Illinois 78-74 in overtime Dec. 2, 1975, in West Lafayette. Current head coach Sharon Versyp is the eighth coach in program history having taken over when Kristy Curry accepted the helm at Texas Tech.
New Face
Kalika France, a junior guard who earned a bachelors degree in accounting from Maryland, joined the Boilermakers on Dec. 27 and is eligible now that Purdue has received written confirmation of degree completion. The 5-foot-9 native of Forestville, Md., averaged 11.3 points in two seasons at Maryland and was named to the 2004 ACC All-Freshman Team and honorable mention All-ACC the same year. France battled tendonitis in her knees throughout the 2004-05 season at Maryland but still averaged 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds and started 31 of 32 games. Problems with her knees caused France to redshirt the 2005-06 national championship season with the Terrapins. Because she earned her undergraduate degree in three and a half years and only played two seasons, France is eligible and has the remainder of this season and next year at Purdue. France is enrolled in health and kinesiology graduate program at Purdue. In high school at Bishop McNamara, France was named third team Parade All-American as a senior. She was named Maryland's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2003 and holds school records for career points and steals.
New Record
With her third three-pointer of the game, late in the first half against Michigan, Katie Gearlds broke Stephanie White's school record of 183 career three-pointers. Gearlds owns the Purdue record with 187 career three's.
RPI
As of Dec. 31, Purdue is ranked No. 3 in the Collegiate Basketball News Women's RPI College Basketball Ratings. Tennessee is in first place followed George Washington and then the Boilermakers. The Big Ten is the top-rated conference in the RPI ahead of the SEC and ACC. Purdue's schedule is ranked as the seventh toughest in the country.
Conference Leaders
Individually, three Boilermaker players lead the Big Ten in five statistical categories. Jodi Howell leads the league in three-point field goal percentage at 42.2 percent based on an average of a minimum of 1.5 made threes per game. FahKara Malone leads the conference in steals averaging 3.1 per game. Katie Gearlds is first in three categories: made three-pointers per game with 2.63, season free throw percentage at 90.2 percent and average minutes played per game with an average of 35.4. Additionally Gearlds ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.4 points per game behind Ohio State's Jessica Davenport at 19.7 ppg.
Defense Wins Games
Purdue leads the Big Ten in scoring defense, holding opponents to 51.7 points per game. The Boilermakers held Michigan to a season-low 35 points on Dec. 28. The Boilermakers also are first in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense allowing opponents only 32.3 percent per game. Purdue's scoring defense places it No. 7 in the latest NCAA rankings and its field goal percentage defense is No. 8. Part of Purdue's successful defense is its shot-blocking ability. The Boilermakers are second in the league in blocks, averaging 5.63 per game.
It's Raining Threes
The Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in made three-pointers per game averaging 6.0 threes per game. Purdue is also first in the league in three-point field goal percentage making an average of 39.0 percent from three-point range. Individually, Jodi Howell is in first place in the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 42.2 percent
Charitable Contribution
Katie Gearlds is Purdue's career free throw percentage leader having shot an average of 85.5 percent from the free throw line since her freshman year. This season she is shooting 90.2 percent, having made 46-of-51 free throws, which leads the Big Ten.
And the Award Goes to...
Senior Katie Gearlds continues to rack up the awards this season. Her most recent recognition is being named Big Ten Player of the Week for the second time this season. Gearlds was also honored by being named a Naismith Trophy candidate, is on the Wade Trophy watch list and was named to Sports Illustrated's first team preseason All-
American. Gearlds has also earned tournament MVP honors for both the Duel in the Desert and the preseason WNIT. In the fall Gearlds was unanimously selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten team.
Valuable Addition
The Boilermakers now have the services of senior Brittany Dildine, an outside hitter and defensive specialist on the Purdue volleyball team whose volleyball career ended Dec. 8 after a loss to Penn State in the NCAA Sweet 16. The 5-foot-9 guard who played basketball and volleyball at Harrison High School in Lafayette, Ind., started individual workouts on Dec. 12 and participated in her first practice with the team on Dec. 14. Dildine saw her first minutes on the basketball court against Texas-San Antonio in the Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas.
Next Up
Purdue resumes Big Ten action when it travels to No. 19/18 Michigan State on Jan. 11. The Spartans are currently 3-0 in the Big Ten and have an overall record of 12-3.
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