WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team returns from the holiday break for its Big Ten home opener on Sunday against Illinois. Jack Kizer and Sydney Parrish will be on the call for the noon tip on the Big Ten Network.
As always, Tim Newton and Jane Schott will be courtside for the Purdue Global Radio Network on 95.3 BOB FM.
Purdue improved to 8-4 on the year and closed out the non-conference slate with an 8-3 record, following a 93-62 win over Jackson State on Dec. 21. Four Boilermakers finished in double figures, as Tara Daye and Kiki Smith became the first tandem to drop 20 points in a game this season with 22 and 20, respectively.
PROMOTIONS
• Holiday Hoops T-shirt Giveaway
• Teddy Bear Toss at Halftime
• BKC Game: PJ Party
GAME NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series 66-19 wiht a 34-5 mark at Mackey arena.
• Purdue wrapped up non-conference play with an 8-3 mark and averaged 75.4 points per game, good for third highest by a Boilermaker squad in the last 25 years.
• All eight of Purdue's victories have come at home this season, matching the best home start under head coach Katie Gearlds. The Boilermakers have topped 80 points six times in those games, already good for third most since the start of the 2001-02 season.
• The Boilermakers bounced Jackson State 93-62 last Sunday with a pair of 20-point scorers for the first time this season.
• Tara Daye dropped a career-high 22 points for her eighth game in double figures and third straight. Daye leads Purdue with 12.5 points per game. Her 150 points on the year are close to eclipsing the 204 points she scored over her first three years in college.
• Kiki Smith earned a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll with 20 points on a perfect shooting day - 5-5 FG, 3-3 3PT, 7-7 FT. She became the first Boilermaker to ever drop 20 points without missing a shot in a game. She was the sixth player to do it nationally this season and seventh from the Big Ten in the last 25 years.
• The Boilermakers held four non-conference opponents under 50 points this season, its highest total since 2016-17. Over the last five years, Purdue is 8-0 when keeping teams to 50 points or fewer and 36-5 when holding them to 60.
• Purdue has won its last three games, outscoring opponents by 37 points per night. Four Boilermakers have averaged double figures, led by Daye's 18.3 points per game, as the team has shot 49.7% from the floor and 41.4% from distance. Purdue has held opponents to 50 points per game and forced 22 turnovers per outing.
• Madison Layden-Zay is off to the best start of her career behind the arc with 26 3-pointers over the opening 12 games. She ranks seventh in the Big Ten with a career-best 44.8% from deep. Layden-Zay is 12 3-pointers shy of Karissa McLaughlin's Purdue career record of 244. The fifth year needs six more triples to match Katie Gearlds for fourth.
• The Boilermakers dished out 20 assists for the fourth time this season against Jackson State, winning all four contests. Purdue is 25-1 over the last five seasons when dishing out 20 or more helpers.
• Purdue is second in the Big Ten in defensive rebound percentage at 76.7%, which ranks 10th nationally.
• Purdue sat 57th in the NET at the conclusion of non-conference play. It was the second highest mark in the Gearlds era and third best in the last 10 years.