Jan. 9, 2010
Game Notes 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
Northwestern (11-5, 2-3) at Purdue (7-8, 2-2)
Tip: Sunday at 2 p.m. ET in Mackey Arena
Television: None.
Internet Video: live video web stream for $2.99 at bigtennetwork.com.
Radio: WBPE 95.3 BOB-FM and purduesports.com. Tim Newton will provide play-by-play and Jane Schott will provide analysis.
Rankings: both teams are unranked.
Live Stats: Gametracker available at purduesports.com.
Free Youth Clinic
After the game versus Northwestern, members of the Purdue women's basketball team and staff will conduct a free skills clinic on Keady Court in Mackey Arena. The clinic is open to all youth 13 and under.
The Opponent
Northwestern (11-5, 2-3) comes into Mackey Arena on a three-game losing streak, with all three losses against Big Ten opponents. In conference, Northwestern has wins over Purdue and Michigan, but has lost at home to Ohio State and Penn State and most recently on the road at Minnesota, 73-65. The Wildcats are led by 6-foot-5 junior center Amy Jaeschke who is averaging team bests of 16.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game. Sophomore Brittany Orban is averaging 10.4 points per game while point guard Beth Marshall has dished out 59 assists on the year. The Wildcats share the ball well and are averaging 16.9 assists per game this season.
The Series
Sunday marks the 59th meeting all time between Purdue and Northwestern and the second of the season. The Boilermakers hold a 40-18 advantage, but the Wildcats broke Purdue's 21-game win streak against them earlier this season, with a 60-58 victory on Dec. 6 in Evanston. The last time the teams met in Mackey Arena was on Feb. 1, 2009, and Purdue earned a 70-44 victory. The last time Northwestern won in West Lafayette was on Jan. 29, 1993, a 73-62 decision.
Next Up
The Boilermakers will play their second of four consecutive Thursday conference road games when they travel to Minnesota for 7:30 p.m. ET game on Jan. 14. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and is the second meeting this season between the two teams. Purdue defeated the Gophers 51-43 on Dec. 28 in Mackey Arena.
The Last Time Out
The Boilermakers had a 13-game win streak against Wisconsin snapped as the Badgers win 64-54 in Madison, Wis. Purdue battled back from a 12-point deficit in the first half to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room but Wisconsin jumped on the Boilermakers at the start of the second period, outscoring Purdue 12-0 to start and 20-4 by the 8:27 mark of the game. The Badgers are the first team to shoot better than 40 percent against Purdue in a game connecting on 24 of 49 shots for 49.0 percent. Brittany Rayburn was the only player in double-figures for Purdue finishing with 13 points. The 6-foot sophomore guard was a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line. Free throw shooting was one of the rare bright spots for the Boilermakers as they made 17 of 18 from the charity strip for 94.4 percent. Freshman Ashley Wilson contributed eight points, three rebounds and three steals.
Head Coach Sharon Versyp
Former Boilermaker point guard, Sharon Versyp is in her fourth season as head coach at Purdue and has achieved an 82-40 record. The Mishawaka, Ind., native has a career mark of 199-105 and is just one win away from the 200-win plateau in her 10th season as a collegiate head coach. In her first three years at Purdue, Versyp has averaged 25 wins per season, the second-best three-year average in school history. Kristy Curry averaged 26 wins in her first three campaigns. Versyp has led the Boilermakers to two Big Ten Tournament championships (2007 and 2008) and to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight twice (2007 and 2009).
Impressive Defensive Numbers
As of Jan. 7, Purdue is ranked No. 29 nationally in scoring defense, 29th in field goal percentage defense and 20th in three-point field goal percentage defense. Purdue is second in the conference in scoring defense, second in three-point field goal defense and third in field goal defense. Wisconsin is the first team to shoot 40 percent or better from the field against Purdue this season.
Improved Offense
Against Notre Dame, Purdue shot a season-high 49.1 percent from the field and dished out a season-best 20 assists on 27 made field goals. The Boilermakers turned the ball over just 13 times, the second lowest number of the year.
Close, But No Cigar
Five of the eight Boilermaker losses this season have been by five points or less, including the four-point loss to No. 3 Notre Dame. Purdue lost to Dayton by three points, at Pepperdine by five, at Northwestern by two and to Gardner-Webb by one point on a deep three-pointer with less than 15 seconds to play. At No. 14 Virginia, Purdue was defeated by seven points. The average scoring margin in Purdue's losses this season is just 6.4 ppg.
Better Balance
Against Notre Dame, three Boilermakers scored in double-figures: Howell (18), Jones (16) and Samantha Woods (12). It was the second consecutive game that Purdue has had three players reach double-figure points and just the fourth time all season.
Injury Report
Sophomore Chantel Poston suffered an Achilles tendon injury on Oct. 1, that required surgery. She tore the tendon in her right foot during a conditioning drill and is expected to miss the season. Sophomore Alex Guyton missed the first 10 games of the season with a stress fracture in her lower left leg, but has played in each game starting with the Evansville contest.
Within Reach
Senior FahKara Malone is 21 steals away from setting the Purdue career steals record. The Evansville, Ind., native is currently fourth with 307 career steals, while former two-time All-American Katie Douglas owns the record with 327. Malone is just the fourth player in school history to record 300 or more steals. In her first three years, Malone has averaged 87.7 steals a season. She recorded 104 thefts as a freshman, 89 as a sophomore and 70 steals as a junior - despite missing nine games due to injury. The 5-foot-3 point guard is the Big Ten's career steals leader among active players and is ranked 30th nationally with a season average of 2.9 steals per game. Malone is second in the conference in both assists (4.5) and in steals.
Sharing The Rock
From the second half of the Indiana game through the first half of the Wisconsin game, Purdue had 38 assists on 49 made field goals. The Boilermakers have assisted on 64.6 percent (203-314) of their made field goals this season. The Boilermakers are led by FahKara Malone's team-best 67 assists. Malone tied her career high for assists by dishing out 10 at Northwestern while contributing 11 points to record the first double-double of her career. Malone is sixth at Purdue on the career assist charts and is the Big Ten's active assists leader.
Three Ball
Senior Jodi Howell holds the Big Ten and school record for career three-point field goal percentage (minimum of 100 attempts) at 42.3 percent (159-376). She has hit at least one three-pointer in 13 games this season and 75 times in her career.
Rayburn Putting Up Big Numbers
Sophomore Brittany Rayburn, the 2009 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year as a freshman, was reinserted into the starting lineup at Oakland. She responded by scoring 26 points, tying her career high. The outing included a career-best 12 of 12 performance from the free throw line. Against Gardner-Webb, the Attica, Ind., native equaled her career best with 26 points. Against Indiana, she tallied a game-high 22 points, marking her sixth 20+ point performance of the season. She leads the team in scoring with a 15.2 ppg average, good for seventh in the Big Ten.
Wilson Steps Up At Wisconsin
Freshman Ashley Wilson went 3 of 3 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line to record eight points, three rebounds and three steals at Wisconsin. It was the best performance for the Wheeling, Ill., native since scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds at Northwestern.
Post Play
The Boilermaker post players are an inexperienced group, with sophomore Alex Guyton the most veteran with an average of 5.9 minutes per game in 2008-09. The Purdue posts came up big versus Indiana, with Jones, Samantha Woods, Guyton and Sam Ostarello combining for 24 points and 26 rebounds. Jones recorded career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Purdue outscored the Hoosiers 22 to 10 in points in the paint and outscored Notre Dame 38 to 26 in that category.
Doubling Up
Freshman Sam Ostarello, from Fort Pierre, S.D., leads the Boilermakers in rebounding at 6.2 rebounds despite averaging just 17.6 minutes per game. She had her best outing of the season against Evansville, tallying her first career double-double while setting career highs for points and rebounds with 17 and 14. The 6-foot-2 forward also had two assists, three blocks and two steals. It was Ostarello's third game with double-digit rebounds, having pulled down 12 boards against Western Illinois and at UC Riverside.
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