Dec. 31, 2011
Purdue Game Notes 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
NO. 20/21 PURDUE (11-3, 1-0) AT ILLINOIS (6-8, 0-1)
Tipoff: 1 p.m. CT on Monday, Jan. 2
Location: Assembly Hall - Champaign, Ill.
Television: Live on the Big Ten Network with Jenn Hildreth providing play-by-play and Stephanie White analysis.
Internet: Live stats are available via Gametracker at purduesports.com.
Radio: live on WBPE (95.3 BOB-FM) and purduesports.com with Tim Newton providing play-by-play and Sara White analysis.
The Series: Purdue leads 46-16
The Rankings: Purdue is ranked No. 20 by the Associated Press and No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Division I Coaches' Poll. Illinois is not ranked.
The Opponent
Illinois (6-8, 1-0) is coming off a 70-50 loss at home to Michigan on Thursday in its conference opener. The Illini are averaging 63.3 points per game with the majority of the production coming from their top seven players, led by preseason All-Big Ten selection Karisma Penn. Penn averages a team-best 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game after recording a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Michigan. Sophomore forward Kersten Magrum contributes 11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.
The Series
Purdue holds a 46-16 series advantage against the Illini and has won five of the last six matchups, including a 92-63 victory the last time these two teams met Feb. 13, 2011, in Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers are just 18-11 in Assembly Hall however and the last time the Boilermakers played in Champaign, they lost 61-57 (Feb. 21, 2010). Purdue is 2-2 at Illinois under head coach Sharon Versyp, but 8-2 overall in her tenure against the Illini.
Purdue Vs. The Big Ten Conference
The Boilermakers are 383-213 all time against teams in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue has a winning record against every conference opponent except Ohio State (26-39, .400) and Nebraska (0-0). The Boilermakers have the highest winning percentage vs. Michigan (48-15, .762), followed by Illinois (46-16, .742) and Wisconsin (43-17, .717). Purdue is 42-19 (.689) against Northwestern, 38-17 (.691) versus the Gophers, 47-25 (.653) when taking on instate rival Indiana and 25-15 (.625) against Penn State. Purdue has identical records against Iowa and Michigan State at 34-25 (.576).
Last Time Out
Antionette Howard scored the go-ahead basket and KK Houser had 15 points, despite fouling out with 7:20 to go, to lead Purdue to a 57-53 victory over Minnesota in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The Boilermakers shot just 30.4 percent, but tied the game at 50 on a free throw by Sam Ostarello, and then Howard scored on a layup to give Purdue its first lead in the second half at 52-50. Howard scored again with 1:27 left in the game to give the Boilermakers a 54-52 lead. She finished with 13 points and four rebounds. Rachel Banham scored 15 points and Leah Cotton had 11 for the Golden Gophers.
Last Time Vs. Illinois
In their only meeting last season, the Boilermakers shot 61.4 percent (35-of-57) from the field, including 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from three-point range, to defeat the Illini 92-63 in West Lafayette. Drey Mingo lead all scorers with 23 points and was one of five Purdue players to reach double-figure scoring. Mingo was 8-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-4 from long range, 3-of-3 from the free throw line, with six boards and four assists. Antionette Howard scored a career-high 21 points and dished out five assists. Courtney Moses recorded 10 points and seven assists, while Alex Guyton had 10 points and three steals and Brittany Rayburn contributed 13 points.
Next Up
Purdue returns home to take on Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. ET, live on the Big Ten Network.
Howard Provides Depth
Redshirt senior guard/forward Antionette Howard has scored in double-figures in three of the last six contests, including tying her season high with 13 points against Minnesota. In that span she is averaging 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from the field compared to the first eight games of the season when she averaged 5.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg while shooting 35.7 percent.
Starting Out
Purdue has used five different starting lineups this season. The most frequently used is also the most recent group of Courtny Moses, KK Houser, Brittany Rayburn, Sam Ostarello and Chelsea Jones. The combination is 7-2 this year.
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