Only three minutes into the second quarter Saturday, Lamina Cooper pulled down a rebound against Penn State.
But she didn’t outlet, because she didn’t need to. Instead, the 5-foot-9 freshman raced up court, outrunning most of the Nittany Lion defense, and found Dominique Oden in the lane for an easy layup. The quick exchange gave the Boilermakers (11-6 overall, 2-1 in the Big Ten) an 18-point lead early as they cruised to a 13-point win over PSU.
“She’s a defensive stopper, has great energy and great speed,” Coach Sharon Versyp said. “And she can rebound. All the sudden, she’s in the land of trees and she comes up with the board. She’s a relentless, fearless player.”
The play showed off Cooper’s versatility, in that she’s an athletic guard who can be trusted to guard on the wing, can rebound — she’s averaging 2.2 boards in only 14.3 minutes — and has the handle and vision to lead the break. And she doesn’t have to score to be effective.
That multifaceted ability has served the Boilermakers well this season, especially considering their limited depth. Purdue is playing with a rotation of only seven right now, with Cooper and fellow freshman Ae’Rianna Harris coming off the bench. But because Cooper can do a bit of everything, Versyp can still have some flexibility in her rotations.
Cooper says she’s only focused on three things when she gets in: Rebounding, defense and attacking the basket.
“So that’s what I try to do when I get in,” she said.
It’s worked out well. Cooper is averaging 3.1 points, the 2.2 rebounds and nearly an assist per game. But it’s her poise and know-how that might be equally impressive; she’s not making mistakes. She has only 10 turnovers this season, never more than two in a game.
In three Big Ten games, she’s played 53 minutes with only two turnovers, adding four assists, four points and nine rebounds.
“She understands the game, so she doesn’t try to do too much,” said Versyp, whose team plays at Wisconsin (5-11, 0-3) at 8 p.m. Wednesday. “That’s where I think players are good or not good. For her, she’s not about herself at all, so if she has a great look, she’ll take it. If she can create for someone else, she does that well.”
Cooper’s not pressing. Over the years, she’s worked on her offensive game, particularly her jumper, and that’s coming along. She’s shooting 39-percent and has hit two of her five three-point attempts. She’s taken more than six shots only once, when she had a career-high 10 points against USC Upstate in November.
“I try to shoot good shots, make sure that I’m open, there’s nobody around,” Cooper said. “And if I’m not open, get the extra pass in. I want to make sure it’s a good shot.”
Cooper will continue to get minutes — Purdue has no other choice — but she’s proving the ability to use them efficiently.
“She wants to do anything and everything to help her team and that’s good,” Versyp said. “She doesn’t put pressure on herself and doesn’t play mental games. We all need to be confident but she just really takes what people give her right now and she’s handled her freshman year very well.”
• Incoming freshman Dani Lawson is a McDonald’s All-American nominee, one of six from the state of Ohio.
As a junior at Hathaway Brown High School, the forward averaged 14 points, 13 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 steals per game in 2015-16, leading her team to a regional championship and state championship appearance.
Three other current Boilermakers were nominees previously: Dominique McBryde, Dominique Oden and Harris.
• Purdue will honor former Boilermaker Joy Holmes-Harris on Sunday, when it welcomes in Ohio State, with a bobblehead.
Holmes played at Purdue from 1988-91, leaving the school as its all-time leading scorer (1,747), while also being first in field goal percentage (.559), steals (323) and double-doubles (20).
