We need you in Mackey Arena on Sunday to fight something bigger than 🏀! Come be a part of the Pink Zone & #BeatCancer #Play4Kay #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/zdYCY00fF8
-- Purdue Women's Bball (@PurdueWBB) February 16, 2017
Game Notes / Media Center / / @PurdueWBB / Live Video / Live Audio
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Purdue (16-11/7-6) vs. Iowa (16-10/7-6)
Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017 / Noon ET / Big Ten Network
Mackey Arena (14,804) / West Lafayette, Ind.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's basketball team continues its Big Ten schedule Sunday at Mackey Arena, hosting Iowa at noon ET with a major stake in the conference standings and pending Big Ten Tournament on the line. While the Boilermakers prepare for a major opponent in the Hawkeyes, they'll also host their annual "Pink Zone" game in support of the Community Cancer Network of the Greater Lafayette area.
An opponent all-too-familiar to the Boilermaker family, cancer has affected us all in some way. The Community Cancer Network provides local patients with non-medical needs in collaboration with care providers and other community resources. The Purdue women's basketball program has been very active in the Greater Lafayette community, especially with survivors Terry Kix and Beth Couture on the Boilermakers' staff.
"Sunday's very personal to me," said Kix. "It's so amazing that our team has the opportunity to provide so much hope and support to our community, and people look to us for inspiration. It's humbling."
"This is my sixth year being able to participate in the Pink Zone game since my diagnosis, and it's become extra special to me," said Couture. "These people are fighting for their lives, and it's a great reminder of how much bigger it is than basketball. There's an extra sense of energy for me, knowing that someone on that day might be diagnosed with cancer and we're out here trying to do something to help."
The Boilermakers will wear special-edition pink uniforms for Sunday's game, which they will auction to the public with all proceeds going to the Community Cancer Network. All Purdue University faculty and staff may attend he game free of charge, and all Boilermaker Kids Club members may receive two free tickets to the game. The first 1,000 fans to arrive Sunday will receive a free pink women's basketball t-shirt and the Boilermakers encourage all fans to wear pink in support of Sunday's cause.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Boilermakers pushed their conference record above .500 with a 55-42 victory at Rutgers on Wednesday, snapping a two-game slide
- The win was Purdue's first-ever at the Rutgers Athletic Center, second straight over the Scarlet Knights in series history, and the Boilermakers' first-ever in the state of New Jersey
- Purdue held the Scarlet Knights to 42 points, marking their sixth opponent under 50 points this season, and the lowest single-game total by a conference opponent since holding Minnesota to 42 on Feb. 20, 2014
- The Boilermakers held Rutgers to 24.2 percent from the field (16-66), the third-lowest by an opponent this season
- Purdue limited the Scarlet Knights to 16 points in the paint, the lowest amount by a conference foe this season and third-lowest overall in 2016-17
- The Boilermakers posted a 16-4 advantage on the fast break, marking their highest total since Jan. 22 at Michigan State
HEAD COACH Sharon Versyp
- Sunday marks her 200th career Big Ten game, her 184th at Purdue, with 16 in one season at Indiana
- 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 230 to date and 347 for her career, and second in program history in Big Ten Conference wins with 108
- 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 7-6, even with 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 58.7 ppg
- When holding opponents to 60 points or fewer this season the Boilermakers hold a 13-1 record, including five of their seven Big Ten wins
- The Boilermakers lead the Big Ten and rank 19th nationally in fewest fouls, committing 14.3 per contest
- Purdue also holds top-50 NCAA rankings in assist-turnover ratio (1.13), assists per game (16.0) and blocks per game (5.0)
- The Boilermakers are 16-1 when holding an advantage after three quarters
- Purdue has outscored opponents by 44 points (237-193) in the first quarter in Big Ten competition and are +93 in the opening frame on the season
- The Boilermakers' six road victories are tied for fourth-most in the conference overall, while their four 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 is eighth in school history with 159 career 3-pointers, passing Boilermaker great Jennifer Jacoby with two triples Wednesday at Rutgers
- Bridget Perry has hit 259 free throws in her career, tied for 17th-most in program history with Lisa Jahner, while her 74.4 percent career free throw percentage is 21st all-time at Purdue
- Ae'Rianna Harris ranks second in the NCAA among freshmen with 54 blocks this season, and ranks 32nd overall in the country
- The Boilermakers are 6-3 all-time in their home "Pink Zone" games, which started in 2008, including a 90-73 victory over visiting Iowa in 2016
OPPONENT NOTES
- Iowa comes to Mackey Arena at 16-10 overall and 7-6 in conference play, tied with the Boilermakers' for sixth in the Big Ten standings
- The Hawkeyes have won two of their last three, taking an 87-83 overtime win over Michigan State and a 78-59 victory over Northwestern in Iowa City on Thursday
- Iowa shoots one of the nation's top field goal percentages, cashing in 47.2 percent from the field, tied for ninth in the NCAA
- The Hawkeyes are led by sophomore post Megan Gustafson, who enters Sunday averaging 17.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and ranks seventh in the country converting 63.9 percent from the field
- Iowa senior Ally Disterhoft is one of the top scorers in program history, averaging 16.5 points per game this season and shooting 52.1 percent from the floor
- The Hawkeyes are playing without sophomore point guard Tania Davis, who suffered a season-ending injury at Michigan on Feb. 5, after averaging 10.9 points and 4.3 assists per game