Northwestern and Purdue may be two of the closest Big Ten schools on the map, but their women’s basketball programs are separated by much more than 135 miles of Interstate 65 pavement.
While the Wildcats (4-10, 0-4 Big Ten) desperately need their first Big Ten victory of the year, No. 6 Purdue (14-3, 4-0) is gliding through conference play. While NU is waiting for its starting lineup to gel, Purdue’s top guns are playing in postseason form. And while NU seeks leave from Big Ten purgatory, the Boilermakers have their heads in the clouds.
The Cats travel to West Lafayette, Ind., Sunday for a matchup between the Big Ten’s best and its worst.
And NU knows that ending its current four-game losing streak — and eight-game skid against Purdue — won’t be easy.
“Mackey Arena is a hard place to play because they get 7,000 screaming fans,” NU guard Dana Leonard said. “And Purdue is always ranked (in the) top 10 in the nation. It’s definitely a hostile situation.”
Last year, Purdue flattened NU 70-31 in a similar early-season contest. The Cats scored just 12 points in the first 24 minutes of the game. NU center Tami Sears’ absence complicated matters — Purdue outsized the Cats at every position.
With Sears back in the lineup for the rematch a week later at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Cats stuck with the Boilermakers until the last minute, losing by seven points.
Which NU team shows up Sunday may determine the outcome.
“Last year (on the road) we were intimidated, and it really wasn’t even a competition because we were so bothered by the fact that Tami couldn’t play,” NU guard Emily Butler said. “But when they came here, the game was completely different. We need to come out scrappy and with fire. And we need to quit rolling over.”
The Cats’ chances will greatly depend on their success on the glass. NU spent about half of Thursday’s practice on boxing out, snaring rebounds and creating room after gaining control of the ball.
But some NU players said drills won’t solve the team’s problems.
“There is some technique in rebounding,” forward Michelle Zylstra said. “But it’s mostly desire. I think a lot of girls are going to look at themselves and think about what they have to do to get the ball.”
Zylstra said rebounding is routinely part of NU’s practice schedule, but because it has been such a team weakness of late, the Cats are working overtime.
Instead of dwelling on her team’s lack of size — which is especially evident against a Purdue squad that starts three 6-footers — NU coach June Olkowski had her team concentrating on speed and agility by running wind sprints at the end of practice.
“Every team in the Big Ten is bigger than we are,” Olkowski said.
In particular, Sears will have her hands full against 6-foot-4 Camille Cooper, who averages 13.6 points and six rebounds per game.
The tandem of Cooper and guard/forward Katie Douglas, who leads the team with 14.2 points per game, will be the focus of the Cats’ defense as they try to pull off the upset of the young Big Ten season.
“Douglas and Cooper are like Magic Johnson and James Worthy,” Leonard said. “They’re the big guns — the ones I think about playing against.”
