WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After nearly eight months of uncertainty and a constantly changing landscape, Purdue women's basketball is finally back. The Boilermakers will open the 2020-21 campaign Sunday night at 6 p.m. at Mackey Arena against North Alabama. Tim Newton will have the call on 95.3 BOB FM and the stream will be on BTN+.
Mackey Arena will have a different atmosphere at the start of the season, with only family members of staff and student-athletes allowed in attendance due to COVID-19 protocols.
GAME INFORMATION
Purdue (0-0) vs. North Alabama (0-2)
Sunday, Nov. 29
Time: 6 PM
TV: BTN+
Radio: 95.3 BOB FM
Live Stats: PurdueStats.com
Head coach Sharon Versyp enters her 15th season at the helm of her alma mater returning a trio of starters from a squad that went 18-14 last season. Tamara Farquhar, who ranks 10th in program history with 6.5 rebounds per game, is fully cleared after an injury prematurely ended her season in 2019-20. Kayana Traylor returns for her third season running the point for the Boilermakers as the sixth player in program history to amass 100 assists as a freshman and sophomore. Karissa McLaughlin will miss considerable time this season after an offseason surgery on her ankle.
Including McLaughlin's absence, the Boilermakers will look to eight additional returning letterwinners, one eligible transfer and the No. 19-ranked recruiting class to replace more than 60% of their scoring from a season ago, following the graduations of Ae'Rianna Harris and Dominique Oden. Ra Shaya Kyle and Madison Layden are slated to make their collegiate debuts Sunday night after scoring a combined 4,176 points during their prep careers.
NOTES
• The Boilermakers and Lions will meet for the first time in history Sunday evening.
• Purdue is 37-8 all-time in season openers, with a 26-0 mark at home.
• Under Versyp, the Boilermakers have gone 13-1 in season openers, winning by an average of 20.5 points per game.
• Farquhar, Traylor and Fatou Diagne were recently named captains for the 2020-21 season.
• With the program's tallest player in history, Kyle at 6-foot-6, Purdue leads the Big Ten with three players standing at least 6-foot-4 or taller.
• The four seniors on the Boilermakers' roster are the most since the 2011-12 season.
• Purdue will honor the late Morgan Burke with a patch on the right should of its jerseys this season.
• Versyp, the winningest coach in program history, needs six victories to be just the third basketball coach at Purdue to amass 300 victories with the Boilermakers.
• McLaughlin, Farquhar and Traylor account for 103 starts, while the remainder of the roster has 27 starts at Purdue.
• Transfer guard Brooke Moore will make her debut Sunday night, after being declared immediately eligible at the start of November.
• Since the start of the quarter era (2015-16), Purdue is 69-17 when leading after the first quarter and 88-7 when leading after three periods.
• The Boilermakers have held opponents below 60 points in 73 games since 2015-16, posting a record of 64-9 in those contests.
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