Preview: Purdue Visits Indiana in Big Ten Women’s Basketball Showdown

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Interstat) — In-state rivals Purdue and Indiana will meet for the second time this season Sunday when the Boilermakers visit the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall.

The Big Ten Conference matchup features two teams looking to build momentum in the final stretch of the regular season. Indiana (13-10 overall) enters with a slight edge in the standings and is coming off a 77-74 road victory at Wisconsin on Wednesday. Purdue (11-12) seeks to end a three-game skid, most recently falling 85-82 in overtime to Penn State on Feb. 4.

The Hoosiers will be fueled by guard Shay Ciezki, who is averaging 31.3 points over her last three games. She scored a game-high 37 points in the first meeting against Purdue, a 80-69 Boilermakers victory in West Lafayette on Jan. 25. Ciezki followed that with 33 points against Northwestern and 31 at Wisconsin.

Purdue’s hopes will rest heavily on the play of guard Kiki Smith, who is coming off a 24-point, 40-minute performance in the overtime loss to Penn State. Smith was instrumental in the Jan. 25 win over Indiana, contributing 9 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. The Boilermakers have struggled defensively during their losing streak, allowing an average of 86.3 points per game.

The Jan. 25 result gives Purdue a psychological edge, but Indiana has won two of its last three and will have home-court advantage. The Hoosiers’ recent offensive surge, averaging 83.3 points in their last two wins, will test a Purdue defense that has been vulnerable.

Sunday’s contest is a critical opportunity for both teams to improve their conference positioning ahead of the postseason. After this game, Indiana faces a tough non-conference road trip to Southern California and UCLA, while Purdue returns home to host Rutgers on Feb. 14.

Tipoff is set for Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall.