3 Keys to Purdue Beating Oregon in 1st Round of Big Ten Women's Tournament
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INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue is back in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament this year, sneaking into the field thanks to a 67-62 win over Northwestern in the final game of the regular season. The 14th-seeded Boilermakers will take on No. 11 seed Oregon to begin tournament play on Wednesday.
It's the second time these two teams have played in the past week, with Oregon stealing a 71-65 victory at Mackey Arena on Purdue's Senior Night. The Boilermakers and the Ducks should be familiar with each other.
Let's take a look at some keys to victory for the Boilermakers, who are hoping to make some noise in the Big Ten Tournament this week.
Minimize the turnovers
Turnovers were the difference in the game when these two teams played on Feb. 25. Purdue turned the basketball over 21 times, resulting in 31 points for Oregon. The Boilermakers' backcourt struggled with the full-court pressure defense applied by the Ducks, often resulting in poor decision-making.
Because Purdue has seen Oregon's full-court defense recently, the Boilers may have better luck breaking the press. It's important that Tara Daye, Kiki Smith and Nya Smith take care of the ball when the Ducks apply pressure and not allow them to bust the game open via transition buckets.
Attack the paint
Purdue was able to feast in the painted area against Oregon in the first matchup. It started with Lana McCarthy coming off the bench and giving her team 18 points while going 6-of-9 from the floor. Nya Smith and Daye were also able to attack the basket, combining for 35 total points, only nine of those coming from three-point range.
The Boilers held a slim advantage in points in the paint, 30-28, back at Mackey Arena a week ago. It's important for Purdue to get McCarthy, Kendall Puryear and Avery Gordon involved in the offense and allow Daye, Nya Smith and Kiki Smith to attack the basket. This can't be a game where Purdue settles for three-point shots.
Avoid an extended lull
Along with the turnovers, the other killer for Purdue in the first meeting with Oregon was a lull that extended from the end of the second quarter through the middle of the third. The Ducks owned a 30-28 lead with four minutes left in the first half and extended their advantage to 39-28 by halftime.
The Ducks then had a 6-2 run to start the third to push the lead out to 15. Purdue has able to scratch its way back into the game, but the deficit was too large to overcome. The Boilermakers can't allow Oregon to have an extended run like that and expect to climb out.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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