Purdue women's basketball weekly report: What we learned, what to watch for
The Boilermakers enjoyed a 2-0 week with wins over IU Indy and Bellarmine
WHAT WE LEARNED
• The Boilermakers showed some fight and grit after letting a 17-point lead evaporate and watching Bellarmine reel off 25 straight points. Purdue appeared lost until getting back on track. Playing at home helped, and who knows, if this was a road game, would the Boilermakers come back and win going away? No one is confusing the Knights with Big Ten competition, and Purdue has a full conference schedule of tough opponents, and blowing a double-digit lead could result in a different outcome. Each game is its own book with a beginning, middle, and end. Do the Boilermakers have things to clean up? Yes.
• Maybe the defensive-first practice approach will work. It did for this game. That doesn’t mean the Boilermakers are taking their focus away from the offense, but they must be better defensively. It won’t be a smothering style. The goal is to improve the fundamentals, particularly in defending ball screens. More attention to detail is needed to shore up this area. More charges have been taken in the last two games. Did the Boilermakers take a step forward Monday despite the 25-0 run by Bellarmine?
“Still things that we can continue to get better, ” Gearlds said. “We like to slide defensively. I like to pop. I like to kind of beat them to the spot there. I love to play, not necessarily pack line or white line, but I love to be deep and help. We have a team that can fly around on the perimeter, and once we understand angles, closeouts, and taking away shots … oftentimes, we close out with our hands low.
“Just understanding all of that, and then breaking habits that some of us have had from previous schools, and then some of us who are still learning. I think two years ago, with not as an athletic team, we were pretty high in field goal percentage defense in the Big Ten. The idea is to try to get back there.”
In 2022-23, Purdue held opponents to 39.3 field goal percentage in all games to rank second behind Indiana. The Boilermakers also ranked second in the Big Ten games, allowing 40.6% from the field.
After four games this season, opponents are shooting 41.5% from the field.
• The value of Reagan Bass is starting to emerge. Leadership. Play on the court. You’re beginning to see it, and that was the case during Monday’s win. Her presence in the post had a positive impact on the Boilermakers not losing their mind after they lost the big lead. She was a stabilizing figure to help her teammates navigate something new this season. She scored. She hit the boards hard. She communicated. She’s helping the freshmen post players - Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear - work through rookie mistakes and keep them moving forward. Bass has posted back-to-back 20-point games, and she’s high on opponents’ scouting reports. But she wasn’t perfect, committing five turnovers as the team had 22 for the game.
“I've got to do a better job because she plays so hard,” Gearlds said. “When she gets tired, it's when the ball gets thrown out of bounds. I think that happened because she plays so hard. We’ve got to do a better job there. Got a little frustrated with her in the third quarter. She took it, she owned it, she came back in, and she was a massive part of that run.”
The transfer additions are giving Gearlds what she needs up to this point, starting with Desitni Lombard and now Bass. And Ella Collier is right there as well.
• The Boilermakers had beautiful ball movement throughout most of the first half. Everyone on the floor touched the ball on one possession, and it ended up in McCarty’s hands on the block, and she scored. The ball movement was solid until it wasn’t. Bellarmine’s zone played a role. Purdue started to pass up shots for one more pass, which became a turnover. That happened too much, and the Boilermakers didn’t regain their footing in this area until late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.
“For whatever reason, (Destini Lombard) was extra passing. Ella was extra passing, and I love our willingness to share the basketball, but if we work to get you open, take your shot,” Gearlds said. “Whether you make or miss it, trust that somebody can get an offensive rebound. If you don't take the shot that you're working for, then chances are we're going to turn it over.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Former Boilermaker star Shereka Wright brings UT Arlington to Mackey Arena on Sunday. Wright is one of the most decorated players in program history, earning All-American status three times. She’s the only Purdue women’s basketball player to earn that distinction. Wright was named first-team All-Big Ten three times and was a finalist for National Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior. Wright’s 2,251 career points rank second, and she holds Big Ten records for made and attempted free throws. She also has the most offensive rebounds in program history. UT Arlington is 2-3 with wins over Arlington Baptist and East Texas A&M and losses to Arizona, Louisiana Tech, and Arkansas.
MORE: Chad Krockover Photography | Mark Elsner Photography | Players of note, questions and what’s next |
• Purdue must stockpile one more victory Sunday before traveling to Florida to face Middle Tennessee State and No. 1 South Carolina. Those are two challenging games. It’s better to have momentum going into the tournament in Fort Myers.
• Of the five players who have missed the last two games, which one will be ready first? Mila Reynolds (wrist) is likely out for months, and the timetables for Alaina Harper (personal reasons) and Jayla Smith (personal reasons) are uncertain. McKenna Layden (foot) could make an appearance by the end of the month. Freshman Jordyn Poole (stress fracture) is probably looking at December before being ready to play.
• Outside of Notre Dame, Purdue has held its own on the boards in its three victories. The Boilermakers are +12 in rebounding margin, but the Irish won the rebounding by 25. The games in Florida will reveal where the team’s rebounding stands.
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Sunday: UT Arlington, 1 p.m.
Nov. 28: vs. Middle Tennessee State, 4:30 p.m. (Fort Myers)
Nov. 30: vs. South Carolina, 11 a.m. (Fort Myers)
Dec. 4: Maine, 7 p.m.
Dec. 7: Maryland, 2 p.m.