The key question now for the Boilermakers: How do they replicate, with consistency, their performance against Minnesota?
It won't be easy. In the win over the No. 21 Golden Gophers Thursday, Purdue shot 65 percent in the first half, better than 51 percent for the game, got an early lead and held on for a 90-88 victory in overtime. The win broke a four-game losing streak.
Whether the Boilermakers can find a way to repeat that kind of production will go a long way toward determining success the rest of the season. Purdue (10-9 overall, 3-5 in the Big Ten) has its first test Sunday, as it hosts Ohio State (12-7, 4-3) in Mackey Arena.
"It's hard to bottle up," Coach Sharon Versyp said. "The three games in six days is tough, but we need to do what we've done all week, build their confidence, need a lot of rest (Friday), it's more mental practice. We haven't seen Ohio State, so the preparation is important, and sometimes when you get that win it flips the confidence."
That's the Boilermakers' hope. Against the Gophers, the Boilermakers played loose, finding their offense early - and getting shots to fall - by moving the ball toward openings in Minnesota's zone. Purdue assisted on 17 of its 20 first-half field goals in scoring 50 points.
"We got off to a great start," Versyp said. "And that's what we've been talking about, we had to play a great first half and a very solid second half. Our shots fell early, so that really helped us.
"The energy, the fire, our kids were playing really loose, a lot of smiling. After I got the technical, they brought out more fight than I've ever seen. So that's good, but we've just got to carry it over."
Purdue had started to see signs of a recovery, particularly in the second half of a loss at Nebraska on Monday night. Then, the Boilermakers hit some shots, but turnovers kept them from falling behind.
But it did give them at least a slight bit of positivity.
"We kept telling ourselves all week, just have hope and be positive," Andreona Keys said. "It's hard to do that during a losing streak, but we found it and wanted to go out there with so much energy. Every single person had to have energy in order for us to win."
Now, Purdue hosts Ohio State, likely needing to score to beat the Buckeyes. With freshman Kelsey Mitchell (25.3 points per game) and sophomore Ameryst Alston (21.2), the Buckeyes have the first- and third-leading scorers in the Big Ten. OSU is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 81.1 points, but it also gives up a bunch; its 71.2 points allowed is worst in the Big Ten.
"Our thing is we haven't been able to keep up in scoring, so it was a confidence-booster," Versyp said. "Against Ohio State, you have to slow them down. And if you make shots, you can slow them down. But they still push on a make, but we have to knock down shots."
It won't be easy. In the win over the No. 21 Golden Gophers Thursday, Purdue shot 65 percent in the first half, better than 51 percent for the game, got an early lead and held on for a 90-88 victory in overtime. The win broke a four-game losing streak.
Whether the Boilermakers can find a way to repeat that kind of production will go a long way toward determining success the rest of the season. Purdue (10-9 overall, 3-5 in the Big Ten) has its first test Sunday, as it hosts Ohio State (12-7, 4-3) in Mackey Arena.
"It's hard to bottle up," Coach Sharon Versyp said. "The three games in six days is tough, but we need to do what we've done all week, build their confidence, need a lot of rest (Friday), it's more mental practice. We haven't seen Ohio State, so the preparation is important, and sometimes when you get that win it flips the confidence."
That's the Boilermakers' hope. Against the Gophers, the Boilermakers played loose, finding their offense early - and getting shots to fall - by moving the ball toward openings in Minnesota's zone. Purdue assisted on 17 of its 20 first-half field goals in scoring 50 points.
"We got off to a great start," Versyp said. "And that's what we've been talking about, we had to play a great first half and a very solid second half. Our shots fell early, so that really helped us.
"The energy, the fire, our kids were playing really loose, a lot of smiling. After I got the technical, they brought out more fight than I've ever seen. So that's good, but we've just got to carry it over."
Purdue had started to see signs of a recovery, particularly in the second half of a loss at Nebraska on Monday night. Then, the Boilermakers hit some shots, but turnovers kept them from falling behind.
But it did give them at least a slight bit of positivity.
"We kept telling ourselves all week, just have hope and be positive," Andreona Keys said. "It's hard to do that during a losing streak, but we found it and wanted to go out there with so much energy. Every single person had to have energy in order for us to win."
Now, Purdue hosts Ohio State, likely needing to score to beat the Buckeyes. With freshman Kelsey Mitchell (25.3 points per game) and sophomore Ameryst Alston (21.2), the Buckeyes have the first- and third-leading scorers in the Big Ten. OSU is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 81.1 points, but it also gives up a bunch; its 71.2 points allowed is worst in the Big Ten.
"Our thing is we haven't been able to keep up in scoring, so it was a confidence-booster," Versyp said. "Against Ohio State, you have to slow them down. And if you make shots, you can slow them down. But they still push on a make, but we have to knock down shots."
