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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (15-11/6-6) at Rutgers (6-19/3-9)
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 / 7 p.m. ET / BTN Plus
Rutgers Athletic Center (8,000) / Piscataway, N.J.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team continues playing on the road this week, heading to Rutgers on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. ET tip at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The Boilermakers aim to snap a two-game slide using their recent surge of offensive firepower that has them scoring 73.5 points per game over the last six contests.
Purdue is shooting 48.3 percent from the floor over the last six games, including five players hitting 50 percent or better. Sophomore Dominique McBryde is leading the way hitting 59.1 percent from the floor, while freshman Dominique Oden is cashing in 57.8 percent, including 50 percent from 3-point range. Senior Bridget Perry and freshmen Ae'Rianna Harris and Lamina Cooper round out the group of hot-shooting Boilermakers, all scoring well-above their season averages.
Senior Ashley Morrissette has increased her scoring efforts as well, dropping in 19.0 points per game, including 91.3 percent at the charity stripe, while dishing out 5.5 assists per game. Morrissette has stepped it up all over the floor, grabbing 3.2 steals per game and blocking a pair of shots.
The Boilermakers scoring averages will be tested by the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday, who have held opponents to 61.9 points per game on the season and a Big Ten low 64.8 points per game in conference play. Wednesday's game will be webcast live on BTN Plus and can be heard live with Tim Newton via the Purdue Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Boilermakers dropped their second straight Saturday at Penn State, falling 79-73 at the Bryce Jordan Center
- The loss was just the Boilermakers' second of the season when scoring at least 70 points
- Purdue hit 44.4 percent from the floor, losing for the third time this season when outshooting their opponent
- The Boilermakers shot a season-best 58.3 percent (7-12) from 3-point range
- Purdue committed a season-most 25 fouls, resulting in Penn State shooting 27-of-34 from the free throw line
- Penn State's 34 attempts were the most by a Purdue opponent since Illinois shot 34 in 2011, and their 27 makes are an opponent-high since Nebraska made 26 in the double-overtime 2012 Big Ten Championship game
- The Lady Lions hit 22-of-28 from the stripe in the second half
HEAD COACH Sharon Versyp
- In her 11th year as the Boilermakers' head coach, giving her the longest tenure of any coach in program history
- Winningest Purdue women's basketball head coach, earning 229 to date and 346 for her career, and second in program history in Big Ten Conference wins with 107
- Purdue's eight NCAA Tournament appearances under Versyp are the most under any head coach in program history
- Starred for the Boilermakers from 1985-88, scoring the 13th-most points in program history and was the fourth-fastest player at Purdue to reach 1,000-career points (77 games)
- One-of-2 Big Ten head coaches to lead her alma mater (Amy Williams, Nebraska)
- One-of-2 former Boilermakers to serve as a head coach for a Big Ten team (Teri Moren, Indiana)
#BOILERNOTES
- Purdue is tied for sixth in Big Ten play at 6-6, even with Northwestern, Michigan State and Iowa and a half game behind Penn State
- The fourth and final double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament remains up for grabs as six teams are in close contention for the spot
- Purdue leads the conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to 59.4 points per game
- When holding opponents to 60 points or fewer this season the Boilermakers hold a 12-1 record, including four of their six Big Ten wins
- The Boilermakers lead the Big Ten and rank 21st nationally in fewest fouls, committing 14.4 per contest
- Purdue also holds top-50 NCAA rankings in assist-turnover ratio (1.12), assists per game (16.2) and blocks per game (4.9)
- Over the last five games the Boilermakers are shooting 48.3 percent from the field, averaging 73.5 points per game, with five players shooting 50 percent or better from the floor
- The Boilermakers are 15-1 when holding an advantage after three quarters
- Purdue has outscored opponents by 44 points (228-184) in the first quarter in Big Ten competition and are +93 in the opening frame on the season
- The Boilermakers' five road victories are tied for fourth-most in the conference overall, while their three Big Ten wins away from home are third most
- Purdue is the Big Ten Conference leader and ranks ninth nationally in average attendance, hosting 5,811 fans per game at Mackey Arena
- Ashley Morrissette has climbed to 21st on Purdue's career scoring list with 1,216 points, recently passing April Wilson and Lisa Jahner
- Andreona Keys posted her team-best fourth double-double of the season and second vs. Penn State on Saturday, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds
- Dominique Oden has hit 43 3-pointers this season, good for fourth-most on Purdue's freshman record list, one behind Stephanie White and three shy of Brittany Rayburn
OPPONENT NOTES
- Rutgers enters Wednesday at 6-19 overall and 3-9 in Big Ten play, riding a six-game losing streak, including Saturday's 80-46 loss at Minnesota
- The Scarlet Knights have earned all three of their conference wins at the RAC, last topping Michigan State on Jan. 14, 62-58, and hold a 6-7 mark at home on the year
- Junior Sharita Parker leads Rutgers with 11.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, and ranks fourth in the Big Ten at the free throw line, hitting 85.5 percent
- Sophomore Khadaizha Sanders is among the Big Ten leaders in steals and assists, ranking second at 2.5 steals per game and 11th at 4.3 assists per game