Purdue Guard Hila Karsh Earns Big Ten Honor After Big Week
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Hila Karsh is already receiving recognition from the Big Ten for her work on the basketball court. After two big performances to help Purdue snag a pair of wins last week, Karsh has been named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week.
Karsh, a 5-foot-8 guard from Rishon Leziyon, Israel, averaged 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists per game in Purdue's two wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Eastern Illinois. She also shot 68.4% from the field and 71.4% from three-point range to begin the year.
In Purdue's 67-48 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in the season opener, Karsh scored 12 points and made 4-of-5 shot attempts from the floor. She also grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.
On Thursday, Karsh was much more prolific offensively. She finished the game with 24 points, making 9-of-14 shots fromt he floor, which included a 5-of-7 mark from behind the three-point line. She also had seven rebounds and four assists, guiding the Boilermakers to an 82-67 win.
Following Thursday's win over Eastern Illinois, Karsh said he gets her confidence from experience, as well as from the support of her teammates.
"I have experience. It's my first year in college, yes, but I have experience," Karsh said. "And my teammates give me a lot of confidence. We really love each other, play for each other. Every shot I make, everyone jumps on me. I think that's a team with really good chemistry."
Karsh could have been an even bigger factor in Purdue's win over Fairleigh Dickinson to start the year. She only missed one shot, but had just five attempts. Coach Katie Gearlds said the goal in Thursday's game was to get her more looks at the basket.
"First of all, last game, she had it going. She was 4-of-5 and we just did a really poor job of finding her," Gearlds said. "I told her I was going to be a little more intentional to get our team to really look for her. But she needed to take the lead and be aggressive, because I do think she passed up some open opportunities on Monday."
Karsh shares the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award with USC's Jazzy Davidson, who averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game.
Purdue returns to action on Wednesday, as it travels to play Purdue-Fort Wayne. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN-Plus.
Related stories on Purdue women's basketball
KARSH DELIVERING IN BIG WAYS: Hila Karsh scored 24 points in her second game at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers to an 82-67 victory over Eastern Illinois on Thursday night. CLICK HERE
NO VICTORY LAPS AFTER FDU WIN: Purdue posted a convincing 67-48 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday night in the season opener, but the Boilermakers were frustrated with their performance. CLICK HERE
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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