Feb. 16, 2008
Purdue-Ohio State Game Notes 
Big Ten Network ~ Free Purdue Boilermakers Video
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
Purdue at Ohio State
Monday, Feb. 18, 2008
7 p.m. Eastern
Value City Arena (18,500)
Columbus, Ohio
Television
ESPN2
Jon Sciambi: play-by-play
Carolyn Peck: analysis
Rebecca Lobo: reporter
Radio
WLFF (95.3 FM)
Tim Newton: play-by-play
Sara White: analysis
On The Web
Gametracker at purduesports.com
live subscription radio broadcast at sports.yahoo.com
The Series
Purdue trails 25-32
The Coaches
Purdue - Sharon Versyp (Purdue '89)
School Record: 45-16, 2nd year
Overall Record: 162-81, 8th year
Ohio State - Jim Foster (Temple `80)
School Record: 148-48, 6th year
Overall Record: 652-263, 30th year
Notables
- A win by the Boilermakers would improve their series record to 26-32 against Ohio State.
- A win would move Purdue to 15-11 on the season and 11-4 in Big Ten play.
- A win would improve Purdue's all-time Big Ten regular season record to 298-141 and give the Boilermakers a school record of 632-336.
- A Boilermaker victory would move Coach Versyp's record to 46-17 at Purdue and 163-82 overall, including a three-year Big Ten record of 34-13 (9-7 at Indiana in 2005-06 and 24-6 while at Purdue).
- The women's basketball team raised a total of $8,490 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation through its various "Think Pink" initiatives. Just over $5,000 was raised in a silent auction of Purdue's pink uniforms at the Feb. 14 game against Iowa.
- The Big Ten will do its part to fight the battle against breast cancer during the semifinals of the women's Big Ten Tournament. "Shoot for the Cure" will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation Indianapolis affiliate as the Big Ten Conference will donate $2 from every ticket purchased for Saturday's session. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game.
-The Big Ten Conference launched its Black History Month website on Feb. 1. The site features stories on male and female student-athletes from each conference institution and can be found at bigten.org. Seven former Big Ten women's basketball players will be highlighted throughout the month. Purdue's Ukari Figgs will be featured Feb. 16 and 17.
Scouting The Boilermakers
Purdue (14-11, 10-4) split its two conference games last week, losing 56-54 at Michigan State and then beating first-place Iowa 59-46 on Thursday in Mackey Arena. The non-conference schedule was tough, with five of the Boilers losses coming against teams currently ranked in the top-16 in the country, including No. 2 Connecticut, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 12 Duke, No. 13 Old Dominion and No. 16 Notre Dame. Purdue junior Lakisha Freeman leads the team in scoring with a 13.1 point per game average and is second in rebounding, averaging 6.2 boards. Danielle Campbell is the team's second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, averaging 12.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, while averaging a team-high 2.2 blocks per game. Starting point guard FahKara Malone leads the team in both assists (3.7 apg) and steals (2.3 spg). Injuries to key players has been the story this season. The Boilermakers lost two returning starters, Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton (knee) and Jodi Howell (shoulder) to injuries before the season began and Malone was hampered by concussion symptoms in the first half of the season.
Scouting The Buckeyes
No. 23/22 Ohio State (18-6, 9-4) is still the only ranked team in the Big Ten conference and is a half a game behind Iowa and Purdue for first place in the league. The Buckeyes are coming off an 80-77 win at Wisconsin on Feb. 10 and with that win, Ohio State broke a string of three consecutive road losses. The Buckeyes are led by 6-foot-4 freshman Jantel Lavender who averages team-highs of 17.6 points and 9.7 rebounds. Senior guard Marscilla Packer is averaging 14.7 points and a team-high 3.3 assists per game, while leading the team with 65 made three-pointers this season. Junior Ashlee Trebilcock contributes 10.4 points per game and 2.6 assists. Against the Boilermakers the first time around, point guard Shavelle Little recorded seven steals, the most by a Purdue opponent this season. Ohio State is without the services of Star Allen, who is sitting out this semester due to academics. Buckeyes' head coach Jim Foster recently picked up his 650th career win and is just two wins away from his 150th victory as the head coach at Ohio State.
The Series
This game marks the 57th meeting all-time between Purdue and Ohio State and the second of the season. The Buckeyes lead the series 32-25 and are the only team in the Big Ten with a winning record against the Boilermakers. Purdue won the first matchup this year, 68-67, Feb. 7 in West Lafayette. Purdue's Fahkara Malone scored a career-high 23 points to go along with five points and five assists, while Jantel Lavender dropped a career-high 30 points on the Boilers. In 2006-07, Ohio State won the lone regular season contest, 64-55 on Jan. 29, 2006, in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers got their revenge in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, sprinting out to a 21-0 lead and holding on to win the conference tournament title 64-52 in Indianapolis. In the last 10 games the series is even at five games each, while the Boilermakers have a 13-7 advantage in the last 20 matchups.
Malone Named Big Ten Co-Player Of The Week
Purdue's FahKara Malone and Iowa's Johanna Solverson shared the Player of the Week honor for the week of Feb. 11. Malone earned her first career Player of the Week award after leading Purdue to a 68-67 win over No. 19/19 Ohio State on Feb. 7. The 5-foot-3 point guard netted a career-high 23 points on the strength of a career-high five three-pointers. On the night, the sophomore point guard shot at a 69.2 percent clip, with a 71.4 percent average from behind the arc. The guard also dished out five assists, recorded five steals and grabbed three rebounds while playing 39 of the game's 40 minutes. The last Boilermaker to be named Player of the Week was Katie Gearlds on Feb. 19, 2007.
Freeman Provides Offense
Lakisha Freeman recorded her second double-double of the season with a team-high 12 points and 10 rebounds at Michigan State and came close to another double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds in the win against Iowa. In the last five contests, Freeman is averaging 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds. She has two 20-point games this season, with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting, in the win against Illinois on Jan. 27 and a career-high 23 points at North Carolina. Freeman is Purdue's leading scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game and has reached double-figures in 20 games this season. Freeman is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.2 boards per game. She is second on the team in field goal percentage, with a 46.9 percent average and is 52 of 66 from the free throw line, a 78.8 percent average. The 6-foot-1 guard averages a team-high 36.4 minutes per game.
Campbell Having Impressive Season
Campbell recorded her sixth double-double of the season and for her career with 18 points and 11 rebounds against Ohio State on Feb. 7. The junior center made history with a triple-double against Butler, compiling 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. It is only the second triple-double in Purdue history and the first since All-American Stephanie White accomplished the feat with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on Jan. 22, 1999, against Indiana. Campbell's 11 blocked shots set a school single-game mark for blocks and is the most in a single game in NCAA Div. I this season. Campbell is currently second in the Big Ten in blocked shots and 35th in the nation, with an average of 2.2 per game.
Malone By The Numbers
Purdue's sophomore point guard FahKara Malone had a stellar night the last time out against the Buckeyes, recording career highs for points (23), field goals (9) and threes (5), while dishing out five assists and grabbing five steals. She was 9 of 13 on the night, including 5 of 7 from three-point range. Malone recorded a career-best 10 assists against North Carolina on Nov. 29. The 5-foot-3 guard finished the 2006-07 season with a conference-best average of 2.8 steals per game, ranking her 25th in the nation in that category. This season she is averaging a team-high 2.3 steals and 3.7 assists per game, while contributing 8.2 points per game.
France's Contributions
Kalika France set Purdue career highs, scoring 18 points and dishing seven assists against Illinois on Jan. 27. The senior guard is averaging 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and is second on the team in steals, averaging 1.8 per game. France came up with the game winning steal against Ohio State on Feb. 7.
Bogdanova Rebounds
Redshirt junior Natasha Bogdanova has returned to the court after sitting out the 2006-07 season with an ACL injury. Bogdanova has started 22 games this season, averaging 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. She tied her career-high for rebounds with 13 against Northwestern on Nov. 20, while also scoring a team-high 13 points, marking the second double-double of her career. Bogdanova scored a season-high 17 points at North Carolina. The 6-foot-4 forward has hit 26 threes in 2007-08 and is shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. Against Illinois, Bogdanova hit three three-pointers for the third time this season.
Mosley Coming Up Big
Over the last four games, freshman Keshia Mosley is averaging 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. She scored a career-high 13 points at Northwestern, followed by 10 points against the Buckeyes and 11 at Michigan State. The 6-foot-1 post has the highest field goal percentage for Purdue, shooting 50.0 percent from the field. For the season, she's averaging 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds.
Honor Among Thieves
In Big Ten games, the Boilermakers lead the conference in steals, averaging 9.64 thefts per game and rank second in all games, with an 8.96 steal average. FahKara Malone has the most steals (56) and the highest average (2.3) while Kalika France has contributed 46 steals for a 1.8 steal average and Lakisha Freeman has 42 thefts for a 1.7 average.
RPI
Despite a 14-11 record, the Boilermakers are ranked as high as 40th in the various RPI indexes. This is due in large part to the challenging schedule that Purdue has played, which has been rated as high as the second most difficult in the country. Collegiate Basketball News has the Boilermakers rated No. 35 with a No. 14 strength of schedule, the Jeff Sagarin/CBN poll has the Boilers No. 45 with the fifth-toughest schedule and College RPI has Purdue at No. 36 with the 10th-toughest schedule this season. The NCAA RPI lists Purdue at No. 35 as of games played through Feb. 10.
Mioton's Fundraising Efforts
Junior Lauren Mioton can add two more items to her already impressive resume, fundraiser for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and publisher of the "Live to Eat" cookbook. The New Orleans native is a three-year member of the Purdue women's basketball team while maintaining a nearly perfect grade-point average as a full-time student majoring in biology. Mioton attended Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and has always had an innate urge to help others. Throughout high school she volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and worked at local soup kitchens and food banks. As a Boilermaker, Mioton is known for her steady play and her effort. This season, Mioton has played in every game, starting in two contests.
"After Katrina devastated my hometown, I felt heartbroken to be so far away from family, friends, and the city I loved," Mioton said. "I knew I wanted to help in some way, but it took me a little over two years to figure out the best way. In the summer of 2007, I returned to New Orleans to take a summer course at Loyola University. It was during these few months that I was able to see what little progress had been made since Katrina, and my passion to do something was reignited."
When Mioton returned to Purdue she had a desire to help raise funds and awareness for coastal erosion. With the guidance and support of her basketball administration and staff, she is succeeding. Terry Kix, director of basketball operations for the Purdue women's program helped Mioton come up with the idea of a cookbook and the Purdue women's basketball booster group, the BOILERmaker NETwork volunteered to assist with the project, including handling the orders and distribution. The "Live to Eat" cookbook contains 250 recipes from Purdue alumnae, staff and supporters and also local Louisiana residents. It even contains a recipe from Purdue alumni and Saints quarterback, Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany. Mioton was involved in every aspect of the process and even drew the cover art for the cookbook.
"All the profits from cookbook sales will go directly to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation to support their "Save Our Coast" effort," Mioton said. "I think this cookbook is the perfect fundraiser because it allows people to learn about the wetland crisis and the efforts of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation while also trying new and creative recipes."
The cost of the "Live to Eat" Cookbook is $20 per copy which includes shipping. Fans can purchase the cookbooks at home men's and women's basketball games at the Purdue Pride merchandise stands. Cookbook orders will be taken until March 1. An order form can be found on the BOILERmaker NETwork website at www.boilermakernetwork.com, at the Purdue women's basketball office or by calling the Lake Ponchartrain Foundation office at 504-836-2205.
On The Horizon
The Boilermakers have only three regular season games remaining after the matchup at Ohio State. Purdue travels to Michigan on Feb. 21. The Boilermakers play their final home game on Feb. 24 in a rematch with the Spartans, followed by the final game of the regular season a week later at Illinois.
Call Me
The Sharon Versyp Radio Show, which made its season debut Nov. 27, will be moving to the Harrison Grill starting on Monday, Jan. 28. Tim Newton, the voice of the Boilermakers, will serve as host of the hour-long program broadcast live on WLFF (95.3 FM). The show is slated to run from 7:10 to 8:10 p.m., following the Matt Painter Call-In Show (6 to 7 p.m.). Versyp's show will air primarily on Mondays. The full schedule is below:
Feb. 19 at 6:00 p.m. - Harrison
Feb. 25 at 7:10 p.m. - Harrison
March 3 at 7:10 p.m. - Harrison
March 10 at 7:10 p.m. - Harrison
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