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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 14 • 21 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com W hitney Bays wasn't expecting to play Sunday. But after a morning shoot- around, the senior forward was feel- ing well — or at least well enough — to give it a go against Dayton. So, despite a back injury exacerbated in a big collision days earlier vs. Florida State, Bays played against the Fly- ers. And she played well, scoring 19 points with 18 rebounds in 27 min- utes off the bench, albeit in a 63-61 Purdue loss. "It was a big game," said Bays, whose Boilermaker team sits 3-4 following the defeat. "We need some wins now. I thought that was a good game for me to come back and play. It was on the road, a tough environment. I just really wanted to do it, and it's my last year. I didn't want to have any regrets and look back and say 'Oh, I should have played in that game. I should have tried.' I was feeling pretty good that day, so I told coach." Now, Bays will have to continue to manage the back injury. It's an issue that's plagued her, she says, throughout her basketball career, only adding to the litany of injuries she's suffered. The knees, which kept her out of couple seasons, have been the biggest problems, but she had offseason foot surgery in the spring, as well. And now the back that's flaring again. Following her collision vs. the Seminoles — at the end of the first half, she set a screen, but was hit hard by an FSU player, leaving both sprawled on the floor — she sat out practice, rehabbing twice a day. Coach Sharon Versyp says her senior forward is still day-to-day, because the back could tighten. It's likely that Bays will practice every other day, or so. "It's not like, 'Oh, it was a mi - raculous recovery,' " Versyp said. "She's going to have to deal with it all season. The biggest thing is try- ing to rehab, but she's got to be able to practice a day then be off a day. "We're doing everything pos- sible to keep her as healthy as possible." Bays, who is averaging 12.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, says she probably should have pulled herself from the Flor- ida State game. She was grabbing at the lower back earlier in the game, trying to loosen up, before the collision knocked her out of the overtime loss. "I'm hardheaded and love the game so much," she said. "I've been hurt so much, so it's knowing your tolerance, playing smart and being smart." FIRST VS. SECOND A quick look at Purdue's first- half performances vs. second during the three-game losing streak shows stark differences, es- pecially defensively. The three opponents — George Washington, FSU and Dayton — have shot nearly 48 percent combined in the first halves to build big leads, but only 40 percent in the second. Tom Campbell Whitney Bays' back injury, which knocked her from the game vs. Florida State, will likely be an ongoing issue. But she was able to play at Dayton. 2014-15 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 9 FINDLAY (exb.) (BTN Plus) W, 84-25 Nov. 14 at Ball State W, 66-60 Nov. 19 GREEN BAY L, 78-81(2OT) Nov. 23 TOLEDO (BTN Plus) W, 66-48 Junkanoo Jam, Freeport, Bahamas Nov. 28 Texas Tech W, 69-53 Nov. 29 George Washington L, 59-79 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Dec. 3 FLORIDA STATE (BTN Plus) L, 64-67 (OT) Dec. 7 at Dayton L, 61-63 Dec. 11 KANSAS (BTN Plus) 7 p.m. World Vision Classic Dec. 19 UC IRVINE Noon Dec. 20 DENVER 2:30 p.m. Dec. 21 WRIGHT STATE 2:30 p.m. Dec. 28 at Illinois (BTN Plus) 3 p.m. Jan. 1 MINNESOTA (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Jan. 4 INDIANA (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Jan. 8 at Maryland (BTN) 6:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at Iowa (BTN) TBA Jan. 15 WISCONSIN (BTN Plus) 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at Nebraska (BTN) 7 p.m. Jan. 22 at Minnesota (BTN Plus) 8 p.m. Jan. 25 OHIO STATE (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Jan. 29 RUTGERS (BTN) 7 p.m. Feb. 2 at Indiana (BTN) 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8 PENN STATE (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Feb. 11 NORTHWESTERN (BTN Plus) 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at Rutgers (BTN) Noon Feb. 17 at Ohio State (BTN) 7 p.m. Feb. 21 ILLINOIS (BTN/BTN Plus) TBA Feb. 24 at Michigan (BTN) 7 p.m. Feb. 28 MICHIGAN STATE (BTN) 2 p.m. March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament* TBA * Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates, Ill. All times ET W O M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S Double vertime BAYS BANGED UP BUT BACK