Huskers Open B1G Home Stand with Purdue

Third-year head coach Katie Gearlds led Purdue to NCAA First Four last season, finishing with a 19-11 overall record that included a 9-8 Big Ten mark. This season, Purdue worked its way to a 6-3 start, but has gone just 3-8 since with six consecutive Big Ten losses since a 77-76 win over Rutgers in West Lafayette, Ind. (Jan. 2). 

 

Purdue is 8-3 at home this year with their only losses coming to top-15 Iowa (96-71), Indiana (74-68) and Ohio State (71-68) squads. The Boilermakers are 1-8 away from Mackey Arena. 

 

Fifth-year guard Abbey Ellis, who was a Cal Poly transfer prior to 2021-22, leads an experienced Purdue backcourt with 13.8 points and 3.4 rebounds. The 5-6 Australian ranks second among the Boilermakers with 66 two-point field goals and leads the team with 55 free throws.

 

Fifth-year point guard Jeanae Terry, who started her career at Illinois, has joined Ellis and senior guard Madison Layden in Purdue’s starting backcourt for all 20 games. The 5-11 Terry averages 5.7 points and team bests of 7.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists while leading the team in steals with 31. Layden, a 6-1 guard, has added 10.3 points and leads Purdue in three-point shooting at 47.8 percent (43-90).

 

Caitlyn Harper, a graduate transfer from Cal Baptist in her second season on the court at Purdue, also has started all 20 games, averaging 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds. The 6-2 forward is shooting a team-best 54.1 percent from the field, including 30.6 percent (15-49) from three-point range, while hitting 87.5 percent (28-32) of her free throws.

 

Purdue also features two of the Big Ten’s top freshmen in starter Mary Ashley Stevenson and key reserve Rashunda Jones. Stevenson, a 6-2 forward, is averaging 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. Jones, a 5-8 guard, has added 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing more minutes than any other Boiler reserve.

 

A third freshman, Sophie Swanson, has contributed 5.7 points with consistent three-point shooting (.395) over 13 games. Swanson, who spent the early part of the season completing her recovery from an ACL injury, is averaging nearly 10 minutes per game.

 

Junior Jayla Smith returns as a significant contributor from a year ago (7.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg), but her production has slipped to 3.7 ppg and 1.6 rpg in about five fewer minutes per game.

 

Purdue has missed the mid-range production of 2022-23 graduate guard Lasha Petree, who averaged a team-best 14.7 points per game last year. She led the Boilers with 111 two-point baskets last season and also ranked second on the team with 77 made free throws. 

 

As a team, Purdue is averaging 68.7 points while allowing 68.9 points per game The Boilermakers have hit just 42.2 percent of their shots from the field, but have hit a strong 34.1 percent of their threes. They are also a solid 77.6 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, Purdue opponents are hitting 42.6 percent from the field, including a sizzling 35.5 percent from three and 77.4 percent at the free throw line. Purdue is basically even with the opposition on the boards and in the turnover department.

 

Purdue leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 10-8, but the Huskers have won back-to-back games in the series, including a 71-64 victory at Mackey Arena last season (Jan. 18, 2023). Alexis Markowski led Nebraska with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Maddie Krull pumped in 15 points despite coming off the bench while battling illness. Sam Haiby closed the game strong with 14 points, while Callin Hake and Kendall Moriarty each contributed eight big points off the bench. Australians Jaz Shelley and Isabelle Bourne combined for just seven points and one field goal, while Abbey Ellis led Purdue with 20 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting. Caitlyn Harper contributed 15 points, while Jayla Smith put three Boilers in double figures with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

 

Nebraska snapped a three-game series losing streak to Purdue with an 81-66 win in Lincoln (Jan. 30, 2022). Alexis Markowski led four Huskers in double figures with 23 points and seven rebounds. Nebraska hit 11-of-20 threes against Purdue, including a 3-for-3 shooting night from Markowski.

 

Jayla Smith led Purdue in Lincoln with 16 points in 21 minutes off the bench, including a 4-for-4 effort from three-point range. Cassidy Hardin added 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers, as Purdue sank 10-of-31 threes.

 

In the first-ever meeting between the two schools in women’s basketball, Nebraska fought its way to an epic 93-89 triple-overtime win at Mackey Arena (Feb. 2, 2012). Later that same season, Purdue defeated the Huskers 74-70 in double-overtime in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.

 

The third game between the schools also went overtime, a 69-66 loss for the Huskers in Lincoln on Jan. 5, 2013. None of the other 14 games in the series have gone overtime.

 

After winning the series opener in 2011-12, Nebraska suffered five straight losses to Purdue. Since 2014-15, Nebraska owns a 7-5 edge in the series.

 

Potts Claims Five Big Ten Freshman Awards
Two-time Missouri MaxPreps High School Player of the Year Natalie Potts has made an instant impact on Nebraska’s lineup. The 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., has claimed five of the first 11 Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards with the most recent coming on Jan. 15.

In addition to her conference honors, Potts was named the No. 14 impact freshman in the nation by ESPN on Dec. 22. She ranks among the top Big Ten freshmen in scoring (10.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg) while also leading the Huskers with 13 blocks through the first 20 games of her career. 

Potts leads Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.6 rpg), field goal percentage (.556) and free throw percentage (.841), while ranking second in scoring (10.6 ppg).

Potts scored at least eight points in each of NU’s first seven Big Ten games, including five games in double figures, before being held to three points at Penn State (Jan. 21). She produced her third career double-double with game highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Michigan (Jan. 17). She ranks third among the Huskers in scoring (10.1 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.4 rpg) in league play.

She posted her second double-double with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in NU’s win over Maryland (Dec. 31), including 13 points and 12 boards in the second half. 

Potts scored 16 in a win at Wisconsin (Jan. 4) when she got all 16 in the second half. 

She opened Big Ten play with 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the win over NCAA NET No. 8 Michigan State (Dec. 9). 

Potts produced 10 points and six rebounds at Minnesota (Jan. 14).

She had 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes in a win over UNCW (Dec. 5). 

Potts won her second Big Ten Freshman award (Nov. 22) after averaging 14.0 points in two games at the St. Pete Showcase. She opened the week with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, in a 75-61 win over Lamar.

She opened another strong week by notching her first double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29). She followed with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a win over Georgia Tech (Dec. 2).

Potts averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block to earn her first Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award (Nov. 13).

In Nebraska’s 71-52 road win at Wyoming, Potts was a catalyst at both ends of the court, erupting for 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while adding two steals and a blocked shot. Potts was a menace defensively, creating easy offensive opportunities with deflections at the front of Nebraska’s press to help turn an early Husker deficit into a double-digit road victory over the Cowgirls.

In her regular-season collegiate debut, Potts had 10 points, five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block while hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field in a 90-42 win over Northwestern State (Nov. 6).

She backed up her opening-week efforts by averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in her second week. Potts capped the week with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting against No. 22 Creighton (Nov. 19), after getting seven points and career highs of 11 rebounds and three blocks in a win over Alcorn State (Nov. 14).

Through 20 games, Potts has hit 75-of-111 (.676) two-point field goal attempts and 37-of-44 (.841) free throws.