WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women's basketball team opens the third year of the Katie Gearlds era on Monday night when it travels to No. 4 UCLA for an 8:30 p.m. ET tip on PAC12 Los Angeles.
Tim Newton, as he nears his 1,000th game at the mic for the Boilermakers, will be on the air for 95.3 BOB FM.
GAME INFORMATION
Purdue at No. 4 UCLA
Monday, Nov. 6
Time: 8:30 PM ET
TV: PAC12 LA
Radio: 95.3 BOB FM
Live Stats: Purduestats.com
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with UCLA 2-1.
• Purdue head coach Katie Gearlds played in all three matchups with the Bruins during her career, averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
• Gearlds enters her third campaign back at Purdue after guiding her alma mater to back-to-back postseason appearances in each of her first two seasons.
• Purdue returned to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2017, after posting a 19-11 record overall and a 9-8 mark in Big Ten play, the Boilermakers' first winning record in conference since 2017-18.
• Purdue last faced a top-5 opponent to start the season against No. 5 Kansas State in 2003-04 to start Katie Gearlds' freshman campaign. The matchup is just the first of a challenging non-conference slate that features four Power 5 teams in the first five games, plus a bout at Notre Dame in December. Purdue will play seven games against the top 14 of the first AP Top-25 poll of the year.
• All-Big Ten selection Jeanae Terry is looking to climb the career assist charts, starting the year in 14th with 373 helpers at Purdue. Terry is the only player in Purdue history with multiple triple-doubles.
• The Boilermakers take the notion of the team being a family to a whole new level this year with three sets of sisters - Madison and McKenna Layden, Amiyah and Mila Reynolds and Caitlyn and Alaina Harper - the most on any roster in the nation this season. Utah Tech is the only other program to have more than one set of sisters on its roster.
• To compliment the five returners on the roster, Gearlds welcomed in eight newcomers, including six freshmen for the 2023-24 season. The five rookies who signed in November were tabbed No. 21 in the nation, before top-50 recruit Amiyah Reynolds joined in May.
• Gearlds also added a pair of star-studded staff members during the offseason in 1999 National Champion and associate head coach Kelly Komara and dynamic recruiting assistant coach Mark Stephens.
• Three of Purdue's 10 Indiana Miss Basketball winners are a part of the team this year (Jayla Smith - 2021, Katie Gearlds - 2003, Kelly Komara - 1998). Madison Layden and Rashunda Jones both came in second their senior seasons. Freshman Sophie Swanson was named Illinois Miss Basketball as a junior.