Versyp Breaks B1G Wins Record, Purdue Tops OSU 60-42
The Boilermakers opened conference play with a win for the ninth time in Versyp’s tenure
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue women’s basketball head coach Sharon Versyp broke another career mark Friday, earning her 121st Big Ten victory on the Boilermaker sidelines in a 60-42 win over Ohio State at Mackey Arena. Purdue improved to 10-4 overall and opened conference play with a win for the 21st time in program history and the ninth time in Versyp’s tenure.
“It’s pretty exciting to continue the winning tradition at Purdue, first as a player and now as our coach,” said Versyp. “I appreciate every player and coach that has been a part of this over the last 13 seasons and look forward to furthering this success.”
The dynamic trio of juniors Dominique Oden and Ae’Rianna Harris and sophomore Karissa McLaughlin picked up where they left off before the holiday break, combining for 49 of the Boilermakers’ 60 points. Oden dropped 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 12 points in the second half and a pair of triples.
“The coaches put their faith in me to score and told me to be aggressive,” said Oden. “When they put me in that position and call those sets for me, I want to get it done for them and my team. We wanted to win our Big Ten opener and I did everything I could to make sure that happened.”
“We wanted to get the ball in her hands and let her make things happen,” added Versyp. “She’s got a beautiful pull-up jumper and we didn’t do a great job of getting her looks in the first half. We made the switch in the second half and she responded well.”
Harris backed up Oden’s effort with her second straight double-double, sixth of the season, with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and rejected five Buckeye shots to add to the No. 2 season total in the NCAA. Her 15th career double-double moves her into eighth on Purdue’s career record list, surpassing Camille Cooper, and her 224 career blocks move her past Stacey Lovelace for second all-time in Boilermaker history.
McLaughlin filled up the stat sheet with 17 points, four rebounds and five assists, hitting four-of-six from behind the 3-point line, and five-of-11 overall from the field. Fellow sophomore Tamara Farquhar finished with seven points, nine rebounds and a pair of steals, while freshman Kayana Traylor did a bit of everything with four points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The Boilermakers’ defensive performance carried the torch Friday, holding Ohio State to 28.6 percent from the floor, including a six-for-22 clip and 17 points in the second half. They held the Buckeyes without a field goal over the final 6:56 of regulation after Ohio State pulled to within six points, 47-41, on back-to-back triples early in the fourth quarter. Purdue led wire-to-wire for the third time this season and the first time since the fifth game of the year. Senior Carmen Grande was the only Buckeye in double-figures, scoring 11 points and dealing six assists, as Ohio State moved to 4-6 overall.
The Boilermakers head out on the road Monday, traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for a 3 p.m. ET tip against the Badgers. Wisconsin opens conference play later Friday evening at Minnesota and is 9-3 on the year.