Purdue women's basketball report: UT Arlington preview, former teammates square off at Mackey Arena
Katie Gearlds and Shereka Wright played together for the Boilermakers but will be on opposite sidelines Sunday
A snapshot look at Sunday’s matchup between UT Arlington and Purdue on Sunday:
Time: 1 p.m.
Streaming: B1G+
Radio: 95.3 BOB-FM
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The top storyline is about two former Boilermakers scheduling a game at Mackey Arena. Katie Gearlds and Shereka Wright are two of the most successful players in Purdue history and among the most popular to wear a Boilermaker uniform. They played one season together in 2003-04. However, the game matters to both teams. Purdue is looking to close out a stretch of five straight home games with another victory before traveling to Fort Myers. UT Arlington seeks its first victory over a Power 4 program this season. Sunday is expected to be the only game scheduled between the two programs.
“You played on a floor for four years, and all the accolades, all the wins, and all the blood, sweat, and tears you had on that floor, and now I get to be on the sideline coaching,” Wright said. “I look to my right, and I see my teammates, Katie and Kelly (Komara) - and I had a chance to coach with Kelly at Vandy - but it’s surreal. You have all that Boilermaker blood on the floor that day.”
ABOUT UT ARLINGTON
• Wright begins her fifth season with the Mavericks and currently has a 66-51 record. She guided the program to the NCAA tournament in her second season while winning Sun Belt Coach of the Year. Wright is 41-27 in Sun Belt Conference games. UT Arlington is now a member of the Western Athletic Conference.
• UT Arlington was picked to finish third - with one first-place vote - behind Grand Canyon and California Baptist in the WAC Preseason Poll.
• Fifth-year Koi Love leads the Mavericks in scoring (19.0), surpassing the 20-point mark three times, including Arizona. She posted a double-double against Arkansas. She’s shooting 54.2% from the field. Fifth-year Avery Brittingham had a triple-double against Arlington Baptist (11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) and pulled down 17 rebounds against East Texas A&M.
• UT Arlington is just 9 of 65 from the 3-point line (13.8%) through five games. The percentage ranks next-to-last (No. 352) among Division I programs through Friday’s games. Senior Taliyah Clark has four 3-pointers.
• Opponents have committed 105 turnovers against the Mavericks, including 33 by Arlington Baptist. UT Arlington has scored 114 points off those turnovers. The Boilermakers committed 22 on Monday against Bellarmine.
ABOUT PURDUE
• Looks to extend its winning streak to three before facing Middle Tennessee and No. 1 South Carolina in Florida over Thanksgiving weekend. The only loss came against No. 6 Notre Dame.
• Destini Lombard is shooting 75% (15 of 20) from 2-point range. She shot 60.7% from the same distance at Stephen F. Austin last season.
• The Boilermakers are +36 on the boards in their three victories.
• Freshman Lana McCarthy has double-doubles in the first four games. McCarthy and Kendall Puryear are shooting a combined 54% from the field.
• Don’t look for any of the five players who missed the first four games to be available on Sunday. Jayla Smith played in the first two games but missed the last two (personal reasons). Alaina Harper was involved in practice on Saturday but isn’t expected to play. Jordyn Poole (stress fracture) had her lower leg wrapped after an individual workout.
PRESSING QUESTION
Will the Boilermakers continue to experience tired legs since Gearlds focuses much practice on the defensive end? Maybe it showed up against Bellarmine when Purdue let a 17-point disappear and watched the Knights reel off 25 straight points before getting back on track. Gearlds is serious about improving the defense on this year’s team. It appears the Boilermakers have enough offensive options, but tightening things up on the defensive end is a priority before Big Ten play starts.
GEARLDS, WRIGHT IN RECORD BOOKS
Going through the program’s history, you’ll see the two stars close together in several categories:
Single-game scoring: 1. Gearlds (41), 2. Wright (40).
Season scoring: 1. (tie) Gearlds (707), 5. Wright (662).
Season average: 7 (tie) Wright (20.1), Gearlds (19.1).
Career points: 2. Wright (2,251), 4. Gearlds (1,974).
Career average: 3. Wright (16.7), 4. Gearlds (14.3)
Double figuring scoring (season): 3 (tied) Wright, Gearlds (33).
Double figuring scoring (career): 3. (tied) Wright, Gearlds (113).
Career field goals: 3. Gearlds 711, 4. Wright (708)
Career field goals attempted: 3. Gearlds 1,631; 4. Wright (1,482)
Career games played: 7. (tie) Wright 135; 11 (tie) Gearlds 133.
Career games started: 12. Wright 104; 16. Gearlds 100.
Career minutes: 2. Gearlds 4,475; 6. Wright 4,103