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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 18 • 16 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com T he Boilermakers had a tough road in the last week, playing three games in six days, two against ranked opponents and a third against a young but talented group. Purdue got a win, upsetting No. 21 Minnesota in overtime in Minneapolis, but couldn't replicate the effort against Ohio State three days later, losing in OT. Following are takeaways from the games: S Purdue played better last week. Unfortunately for the Boilermakers, the result was only one victory. And now at the halfway point of the Big Ten, the Boilermak - ers are only 3-6 in the conference, with a cou- ple losses that it'd like to have back. Purdue should not have lost to Wis- consin, a floundering team that stole one in Mackey Arena during a lackluster Boil- ermaker effort. And the loss to OSU, when Purdue had a 12-point sec- ond half lead and three attempts to win in the final sec- onds, was a tough one. S Purdue's best offense comes when it's running, like early in the sec- ond half vs. the Buckeyes. Then, the Boilermakers hit 13-of- 18 shots, many of them in transition. Whitney Bays, on consecutive pos- sessions, grabbed rebounds, then led breaks that led to points. But when the B o i l e r m a k e r s got up a dozen, they took their foot off the gas and the offense went away. Purdue's not good enough in the half court — the evidence this season shows that the Boiler - makers cannot regularly hit open shots from the perimeter — to be able to slow down. Purdue has to run, even if that means a few more turnovers than it'd like. S Bays is putting together one of the great seasons in Purdue history. The senior saw her double-double streak of nine straight end at Minnesota, when she had only four rebounds, but came back a game later to have 22 points and a career- high 19 rebounds. In the Big Ten, Bays is averaging 18.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Plus she has a team-high 19 steals. It's unfortunate that her season might end without a trip to the NCAA Tournament. j W O M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L G O L D B O X E S L I N K T O G A M E S T O R I E S Tom Campbell Whitney Bays was outstanding vs. Ohio State, with 22 points and a career-high 19 boards. A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST WEEK OF BASKETBALL FLASH FORWARD Opponent: Rutgers Location: Mackey Arena When: 7 p.m. Thursday Notables: No. 25 Rutgers comes to Purdue with a 14-5 record, including 5-3 in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights are 8-1 away from home, their only loss at Ohio State on New Year's Day. … Three average in double- figure scoring for Rutgers, led by Tyler Scaife, who av- erages 16.5 points per game. Forward Betnijah Laney averages a double-double, 15.6 points and 11.4 re- bounds. … The Knights have the league's fourth- best defense, allowing only 60.8 points per game. … Purdue is 2-0 all-time vs. Rutgers, with NCAA Tourna- ment wins in 1999 and 2009.