clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Maryland women’s basketball vs. Purdue preview: Terps look for 10th straight win

The Terps head to West Lafayette for the first part of an Indiana road trip.

NCAA Womens Basketball: Connecticut at Maryland Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland women’s basketball is back on the road Thursday when it heads to Mackey Arena to take on Purdue.

The No. 3 Terps are coming off a 100-81 win over Iowa, where they shot a season high 60 percent from the field and improved to 21-1 and 9-0 in Big Ten play. Brionna Jones led the way with 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough had 18. Brianna Fraser had a great day off the bench, scoring a career high 17 points.

In other news, the team announced Tuesday that Jones and Walker-Kimbrough would see their jerseys honored in the rafters on Senior Day.

The Boilermakers are 14-8 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten; they’re coming off an 88-45 win over Nebraska. They have lost both games against ranked opponents this season, but each was close. They lost 78-69 to No. 11 Stanford on Nov. 26 and 61-56 against No. 11 Ohio State on Jan. 15.

Maryland defeated Purdue twice last season, winning 87-67 on the road and 73-59 at home. In the first game, Walker-Kimbrough scored 41 points and was a missed free throw away from tying Marissa Coleman’s program record of 42 (Jones matched that this year against Penn State).

The game will tip off at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on BTN.

Purdue Boilermakers (14-8, 5-3 Big Ten)

2015-16 record: 20-12, 10-8

Head coach: Sharon Versyp has a 228-128 record in 11 seasons at Purdue, and a career 335-193 record in 17 seasons. She’s led the Boilermakers to eight NCAA tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2007.

Players to know

Ashley Morrissette, senior, guard, 5’9, No. 1: An honorable mention All Big-Ten selection last season, Morrissette leads the Boilermakers in points (15.5) and assists (4.5) per game. She averaged 18.5 points in the two games against Maryland last season, but shot just 35.1 percent from the field.

Dominique Oden, freshman, guard, 5’8, No. 11: Oden has been Purdue’s best freshman this season, and her 10.8 points per game ranks second on the team. She was a three-star recruit and the No. 27 point guard in the nation, according to ESPN HoopGurlz.

Bridget Perry, senior, forward, 6’2, No. 13: Perry averages 10.5 points and five rebounds per game. She averaged 8.5 points and four boards against the Terps last season.

Andreona Keys, junior, guard, 5’10, No. 10: Keys’s 30.9 minutes and 5.6 rebounds per game are second on the team, and she also averages 9.6 points. She averaged 11.5 points and four rebounds per game on 52.9 percent shooting against Maryland last year.

Dominique McBryde, sophomore, forward, 6’2, No. 20: A five-star recruit and the No. 30 player in the Class of 2015, McBryde averages 7.3 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. After scoring 10 points against the Terps off the bench the first time the two teams played, she started in the second game and was held to just three points.

Strength

Defense. The Boilermakers give up a Big Ten-low 56.5 points per game. They held Ohio State to 32.3 percent shooting and 18 turnovers, and superstar guard Kelsey Mitchell to 3-of-17 from the field.

Weakness

Three-point shooting. The Boilermakers shoot just 32.1 percent from beyond the arc, and their 4.6 three-point field goals per game rank 269th in Division I. Maryland is not a great three-point shooting team, but Destiny Slocum, Kristen Confroy and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough are all solid shooters.

Prediction

Maryland wins, 75-62.