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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 17 • 16 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com T he Boilermakers lost their only game of the week, dropping a 65-56 decision to the visit- ing Badgers in what was probably the worst loss of the season. Afterward, Coach Sharon Versyp lamented the Boilermakers' lack of hustle in the closing minutes, even when the game's outcome was still in the balance. Purdue too easily gave up baskets in transition, missed good opportunities to score in the paint and was largely out of sync in its half-court offense. The following are takeaways from the game: S Purdue really struggles offensively. The Boilermakers rank 12th in the Big Ten in scoring, only ahead of Penn State and Wis - consin, and are worse in field goal percentage, last at 38.8 percent. Only Penn State, which is 3-15 this season, also shoots under 40 percent on the season. At this point, 17 games into the season, it seems unreasonable to expect a huge or sudden turnaround. Opponents have Purdue scouted well, playing zone a ma- jority of the time and packing in the paint, basi- cally daring it to shoot from the perimeter. And it hasn't shown any ability to be consistent from long distance. The Boilermakers have made only 28.2 percent, second-worst in the league. Purdue might be able to get its percentage up to 45 for a game or two, but there's no indica- tion of a long-term change. And that's going to keep the Boilermakers from putting together a string of positive play. S Purdue's meltdown at the end of the Wis- consin game was unlike what's usually seen out of a Boilermaker team. Versyp said the Boiler- makers had "given up," and it's hard to disagree. They were late getting back on defense and slow to react on inbounds plays. The result was Wisconsin, a team that had won only once in the last 30 years in Mackey Arena, rolling to a win down the stretch. The Bad- gers, too, are likely to finish the season below .500, making Purdue's loss one of the most disap- pointing in recent memory in Mackey Arena. S Barring a major turnaround, Purdue's un- likely to be an NCAA Tournament team. Purdue (9-8 overall, 2-4 in the Big Ten) needs wins, and three of its next four opponents are ranked, the first two being road games. Even the WNIT, at this point, seems and up- hill climb. j W O M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L G O L D B O X L I N K S T O G A M E S T O R Y Tom Campbell Whitney Bays is Purdue's only consistent scoring option, and that's not enough to keep the Boilermakers going offensively. A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST WEEK OF BASKETBALL FLASH FORWARD Opponent: Minnesota Location: Williams Arena When: 8 p.m. Thursday Notables: Purdue plays at No.17 Nebraska at 7 p.m. Monday before heading to No. 23 Minnesota. The game vs. the Gophers will be the Boilermakers' fourth on the road against a ranked opponent in the last five games. … The Gophers (16-2 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten) are coming off a victory against Indiana 65-61, its 12th victory in the last 13 games, the only loss being to Maryland. … One of those wins was over Purdue, 81-68, on New Year's Day in Mackey Arena. … Senior forward Shae Kelley leads the Gophers in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game; center Amanda Zahui B., who had 21 points and 19 boards at Purdue, averages 16.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.