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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 25 • 7 the reasons Purdue won its last six regular-season games. "Defense wins championships," senior Dee Dee Williams said. "I know it's cliché, but it's true and I feel like with those (Akron) stats, we're going to have to definitely buckle down on defense." The Boil - ermakers have played — and beaten — MAC opponents four times this season, taking care of Ball State 63-57 in the opener and win- ning at Toledo, 81-79, a week lat- er. Then, Purdue took care of Bowling Green and Central Michigan in Mackey during a weeklong span near Christmas. Akron was 6-3 against those common opponents. The Boilermakers, who lost in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 7, are happy to have an opponent to scout after the long layoff. "We had a lot of fun last week in practice," senior Courtney Moses said, "but it'll definitely be better this week to have somebody we're preparing for." If Purdue gets past Akron, it'll have a short turnaround to prepare for the Monday night matchup against either Oklahoma State or FGCU. The Cowgirls, who are making their second-straight NCAA appear - ance, are the favorite, after a 23-8 season that ended in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament when they were defeated 65-61 by Baylor. Oklahoma State, which fin- ished 11-7 in the league, is led by senior All-Big 12 point guard Tif- fany Bias, who averages 14.2 points, six assists and two steals per game. Sophomore guard Brittney Martin and junior forward Liz Donohoe average 11.8 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. If Florida Gulf Coast should score the first- round upset, however, watch for the three ball. The winners of the At- lantic Sun Conference Tournament for the second consecutive season, the 26-7 Eagles attempted an astound- ing 972 three-pointers this year, an average of 29.5 shots per game. FGCU hit 340 of the at- tempts, 10.4 per game, the second-most in the country. Ironically, the Eagles' women's team still uses the "Dunk City" moniker adopted by the men's pro- gram a year ago in its Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament. Seven Eagles have hit at least 25 three-pointers this season; guard Sarah Hansen is the leading scorer, averaging 13.8 pointer per game. The Boilermakers are ready to go. "Practices have been really good," Williams said, "but to have somebody that you're going to play and know what you're practicing for, know what plays they're going to be running, just to practice for somebody else is going to be nice this week." j Purdue Basketball Post Season Banquets Sponsored by 2014 Women's Basketball Postseason Dinner: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 6:30 p.m. Trails Banquet Facility 2014 Men's Basketball Postseason Banquet: Wednesday, April 9, 2014, 6:30 p.m. Purdue Memorial Union Ticket applications available through Intercollegiate Athletics Ticket Office. Call 1-800-49-Sport or 1-765-494-3194 Presented by Artistic Media Partners Florida GulF Coast probable starters No. Name Pos. Ht. Class PPG RPG 2 Kaneisha Atwater G 5-7 So. 7.9 3.6 5 Sarah Hansen G 5-10 Sr. (5) 13.8 7.1 12 Stephanie Haas G 5-8 So. 11.5 3.3 14 Whitney Knight G 6-3 So. 12.3 5.1 22 Jenna Cobb G 5-7 Jr. 8.4 3.2 oklahoma state probable starters No. Name Pos. Ht. Class PPG RPG 3 Tiffany Bias G 5-6 Sr. 14.2 3.2 4 Liz Donohoe F 6-0 Jr. 11.2 6.3 22 Brittney Martin G 6-0 So. 11.8 8.2 31 Kendra Suttles F 6-1 Sr. 7.8 5.3 55 LaShawn Jones C 6-3 Jr. 9.0 5.4 Jeff Harwell, UA Athletics Communications Forward Rachel Tecca, who averages 22.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, is a three- time first-team All-MAC selection and was this season's league tournament MVP.