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BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com T he Boilermakers dropped two more games over the last sev- eral days, running their losing streak to 11 consecutive. And they followed a familiar script: Purdue is getting blown out on the road, having lost its last three road games by at least 29 points, including the latest, an 81-50 de- feat at Michigan; and losing close at home, including a 61-56 loss on senior day Saturday. Perhaps luck will change on a neutral court. Purdue opens Big Ten Tournament play as the No. 14 seed on Wednesday taking on 11th-seeded Wisconsin in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Following are takeaways from the last week: S Turnovers are killing the Boilermakers right now. After starting the season with the giveaways under control — Purdue had been on pace to set a pro - gram-low for average turn- overs per game — it's gone sideways of late. The Boilermakers combined for 41 turnovers against Michigan and Michigan State, with those turning into 49 points for their opponents. For a team that struggles to score, like Purdue, it cannot afford to both lose offensive opportunities while giving the opponent extra ones. It's been a plague of late. In five of the last six games, the Boil - ermakers have committed at least 20 turnovers. Too many have been unforced. Against Michigan State, Bridget Perry had her pass to the left wing intercepted, giving the Spartans points rather than giving Purdue a chance to tie in the final seconds. S Purdue employed a dif- ferent defensive strategy against the Spartans, one that seemingly affected Michigan State and that the Boilermakers could use again in the Big Ten Tournament. Sharon Versyp sent a half- court trap at MSU, frequently causing the Spartans to struggle to get into their offense; they committed 20 turnovers. Afterward, Versyp said Purdue could use the defense again, and why not? The Boilermakers have lit - tle to lose in the tourney, not much is expected. S After the loss at Michigan, Versyp alluded to "changes" that would be made during the off- season. A day later, she wouldn't expand, saying only that she'd tell more after t h e s e a s o n was over. That could be soon. But exactly what those chang- es will be — personnel, scheme — remains to be seen. j FLASH FORWARD Opponent: Wisconsin Location: Sears Centre Arena When: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday Notables: Purdue lost to Wisconsin Jan. 15 in Mackey Arena in the schools' only meeting this season. The 65-56 victory was only the Bad- gers' second win at Purdue since 1985. ... The Boilermakers are the 14th seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which it has won nine times. They'd need to win five games in five days for No. 10. Purdue's previous low- est seed was No. 7 in 2011, the only prior year that it had played on the first day of the tournament. ... The Badgers moved up to the tourney's 11 seed thanks to a 62-56 win at Penn State Sunday. ... Junior guard Nicole Bauman leads UW, averaging 15.1 points per game. Tom Campbell Whitney Bays expanded her Purdue record for double- doubles to 15, after she had 17 points and 10 rebounds against Michigan State on Saturday. 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 A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST WEEK OF BASKETBALL GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 23 • 18