Bridget Perry figured she'd play Sunday against Penn State, but she didn't figure she'd start.
Yet, there she was, in the lineup after a month away while rehabbing a high ankle sprain.
"(I knew) when she wrote it on the board in (the locker room)," Perry said of Sharon Versyp's listing of the starting lineup. "I was thinking 'Well, maybe I'll play five to 10 minutes in the first half and a little in the second half,' but it was 'Oh.' But honestly, I was so excited to get back out there, even if it was a little bit, didn't matter how much. I wanted to get out there and go to war with my teammates."
Perry played far more than a handful of minutes, going for 28 before fouling out of Purdue's 54-50 loss to the Nittany Lions. She shot was off - she missed 11 of her 13 attempts - but still had eight rebounds, six points, three assists and a steal.
Versyp was happy with Perry's energy level.
"Just the passion and how hard she plays," Versyp said. "That becomes contagious and her being able to get out on some fast-breaks and get some easy baskets. That's what we've been missing and she's been a key element to that. Then, just how she attacked the basket. For her, the shooting will come later, but if you can get to the foul line, if you can do those elements."
Perry, who had missed seven games, was rusty on her jumpers, missing too regularly, even from the free throw line, where she missed two of her four. But she thinks that can come soon.
Her ankle was fine during the game, and only a bit sore afterward.
"Coming back, you kind of have to get back in the flow of things, get your mojo back, so that was harder," she said. "I felt like attacking, driving and dishing and looking for the post players and getting into the offense, it was quicker than I thought I would. I thought I'd be disoriented and everything, but I really wasn't. I'm happy that I was able to go full speed on my ankle, that went really well."
• Versyp wants the Boilermakers to shut out the negativity.
Purdue's struggling, having lost eight of nine, including four in a row at home. That, and the seven loses in Mackey Arena, are the most since the 1983-84 season. And one more loss would ensure Purdue's first sub-.500 Big Ten season since 1993.
Purdue (10-13 overall, 3-9 in the Big Ten) hosts Northwestern (17-6, 7-5) in Mackey Arena at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The Boilermakers aren't hitting shots, making only 38.7 percent of their field goals, including 28.1 percent of three-pointers, ranking 14th and 13th respectively in the Big Ten. And in the numbers get worse in conference-games only.
"You're seeing the shots, you're seeing they're capable, but they're feeling the pressure," Versyp said. "How can they not? So we're trying to say to just worry about the next event. Don't look at media, don't read anything, because all you're going to do is beat yourself up. So don't look at any of that. Put that all aside, because we're doing great things, it's just not falling for us.
"If they weren't playing hard and the effort wasn't there and if they aren't putting in the work, but they're very competitive and tired of it too. But when everything is so draining, it's hard for anybody. We're trying to clear their brain right now and turn all the 'Why are you so bad shooting?' into 'We are good shooters. We are going to be better. We can do this.'"
Versyp was pleased with the Boilermakers against the Lions, because they played well defensively, holding PSU to only 54 points and 37 percent shooting, were even on the boards and had only 12 turnovers.
But the Boilermakers shot only 29 percent.
"I was very pleased," Versyp said. "Our shots didn't fall, but we had a lot of them. And we worked hard and every (other) stats was great. You have to build off of that. There's no question. We got back to playing hard-nosed basketball."
• Purdue would be helped by getting Whitney Bays untracked.
The Boilermakers' leading scorer, at 15 per game, has scored only 13in the last two outings. And her shot attempts have steadily declined, from 21 to 14 to 10 to seven vs. PSU.
"Sometimes, you're thinking too much and know you're going to be double- and triple-teamed," Versyp said of Bays' struggles. "That's just what's going to happen. If she catches the ball cleanly, that will help. The first half it was kind of mishandling. It's hard to get away from that after that, but she'll be fine. She was able to share the basketball very well when they had two or three people and we had open looks.
"We continue to try to put wrinkles in so that people don't know what she's doing. But where ever, she's going to be, that's what you should be doing, taking her away."
Yet, there she was, in the lineup after a month away while rehabbing a high ankle sprain.
"(I knew) when she wrote it on the board in (the locker room)," Perry said of Sharon Versyp's listing of the starting lineup. "I was thinking 'Well, maybe I'll play five to 10 minutes in the first half and a little in the second half,' but it was 'Oh.' But honestly, I was so excited to get back out there, even if it was a little bit, didn't matter how much. I wanted to get out there and go to war with my teammates."
Perry played far more than a handful of minutes, going for 28 before fouling out of Purdue's 54-50 loss to the Nittany Lions. She shot was off - she missed 11 of her 13 attempts - but still had eight rebounds, six points, three assists and a steal.
Versyp was happy with Perry's energy level.
"Just the passion and how hard she plays," Versyp said. "That becomes contagious and her being able to get out on some fast-breaks and get some easy baskets. That's what we've been missing and she's been a key element to that. Then, just how she attacked the basket. For her, the shooting will come later, but if you can get to the foul line, if you can do those elements."
Perry, who had missed seven games, was rusty on her jumpers, missing too regularly, even from the free throw line, where she missed two of her four. But she thinks that can come soon.
Her ankle was fine during the game, and only a bit sore afterward.
"Coming back, you kind of have to get back in the flow of things, get your mojo back, so that was harder," she said. "I felt like attacking, driving and dishing and looking for the post players and getting into the offense, it was quicker than I thought I would. I thought I'd be disoriented and everything, but I really wasn't. I'm happy that I was able to go full speed on my ankle, that went really well."
• Versyp wants the Boilermakers to shut out the negativity.
Purdue's struggling, having lost eight of nine, including four in a row at home. That, and the seven loses in Mackey Arena, are the most since the 1983-84 season. And one more loss would ensure Purdue's first sub-.500 Big Ten season since 1993.
Purdue (10-13 overall, 3-9 in the Big Ten) hosts Northwestern (17-6, 7-5) in Mackey Arena at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The Boilermakers aren't hitting shots, making only 38.7 percent of their field goals, including 28.1 percent of three-pointers, ranking 14th and 13th respectively in the Big Ten. And in the numbers get worse in conference-games only.
"You're seeing the shots, you're seeing they're capable, but they're feeling the pressure," Versyp said. "How can they not? So we're trying to say to just worry about the next event. Don't look at media, don't read anything, because all you're going to do is beat yourself up. So don't look at any of that. Put that all aside, because we're doing great things, it's just not falling for us.
"If they weren't playing hard and the effort wasn't there and if they aren't putting in the work, but they're very competitive and tired of it too. But when everything is so draining, it's hard for anybody. We're trying to clear their brain right now and turn all the 'Why are you so bad shooting?' into 'We are good shooters. We are going to be better. We can do this.'"
Versyp was pleased with the Boilermakers against the Lions, because they played well defensively, holding PSU to only 54 points and 37 percent shooting, were even on the boards and had only 12 turnovers.
But the Boilermakers shot only 29 percent.
"I was very pleased," Versyp said. "Our shots didn't fall, but we had a lot of them. And we worked hard and every (other) stats was great. You have to build off of that. There's no question. We got back to playing hard-nosed basketball."
• Purdue would be helped by getting Whitney Bays untracked.
The Boilermakers' leading scorer, at 15 per game, has scored only 13in the last two outings. And her shot attempts have steadily declined, from 21 to 14 to 10 to seven vs. PSU.
"Sometimes, you're thinking too much and know you're going to be double- and triple-teamed," Versyp said of Bays' struggles. "That's just what's going to happen. If she catches the ball cleanly, that will help. The first half it was kind of mishandling. It's hard to get away from that after that, but she'll be fine. She was able to share the basketball very well when they had two or three people and we had open looks.
"We continue to try to put wrinkles in so that people don't know what she's doing. But where ever, she's going to be, that's what you should be doing, taking her away."
