The Terps and Boilermakers’ previous match was postponed.
After their matchup was canceled due to an arena leak last Saturday, Maryland women’s basketball and Purdue will go head to head this Sunday at XFINITY Center.
Maryland will look to bounce back after squandering a halftime lead against Michigan State Tuesday, 74-69. Even though two Terps scored at least 20 points, they weren’t able to handle a fourth quarter surge by the Spartans, ultimately resulting in a second conference loss.
Tip is set for noon and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Purdue Boilermakers (9-6, 2-2 Big Ten)
2022-23 record: 19-11, 9-8 Big Ten
After a rough five-year stretch, head coach Katie Gearlds has rebuilt the Boilermakers into a winning program, with last season’s NCAA Tournament appearance being a major step in the right direction.
The Boilermakers were riding a three-game winning streak, before losing to Iowa by 25 points on Wednesday.
Players to know
Abbey Ellis, fifth-year guard, 5-foot-6, No. 23 — In her final year with Purdue, Ellis has been the team’s top scoring option. She is averaging a team-high 14.6 points and 1.9 steals per game.
Jeanae Terry, fifth-year guard, 5-foot-11, No. 10 — She may not score in bunches, but Terry is one of the best all-around players in the Big Ten. Selected to the All-Big Ten second team and all-defensive team last season, Terry holds the program record for most career triple-doubles. This season, she is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game and ranks third in the Big Ten with 5.8 assists per game.
Madison Layden, senior guard, 6-foot-1, No. 33 – Layden is averaging 11.4 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting from three this year, which leads the conference and ranks sixth in Division I.
Strength
Free-throw shooting. Purdue is tied for the second-highest free-throw percentage in the Big Ten at 77.5 percent. The team that the Boilermakers are tied with just happens to be Maryland.
Weakness
Getting shots to fall. The obvious shortcoming for Purdue this season has been its lack of consistent shooting. The Boilermakers have the third-worst field goal percentage in the Big Ten with a clip of 42.5 percent.
Three things to watch
1. How will Bri McDaniel follow up her last performance? Despite the loss, McDaniel showed up in a big way against Michigan State. She scored a career high 20 points, and also picked up eight rebounds and three steals. The sophomore guard has only scored double digits in back to back games once in her collegiate career, could she make it twice on Sunday?
2. Has Frese finally settled on a rotation? With injuries having previously dictated her lineup decisions of recent, Lavender Briggs’ return seems to have finally settled the rotation. The nine-woman rotation has been the same in each of the last three games.
3. Can Maryland remain undefeated in College Park? Maryland is 7-0 at home, but will its perfect record survive Big Ten competition?