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74 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED The Key For a month last winter, this became clear: Purdue was a much better team when Bridget Perry was in the lineup. Without her — the 6-foot-2 forward was sidelined for seven games from early Janu- ary to early February with an ankle injury — the Boilermakers started a slide that they've yet to come out of. Their offense, which struggled to produce even with Perry, was significantly hampered without her. In those seven games, Purdue scored more than 59 only twice and won only once, when the Boil- ermakers inexplicably exploded for 90 in an overtime victory at Minnesota. Perry's versatility can make her a matchup problem for opponents, in that she'll use her quickness to get by a bigger defender on the perimeter or her size to beat a smaller one inside. "She's very hard to guard, and when she takes it to the hole, you don't know if she's go- ing to shoot, pass or hit somebody down the lane," Coach Sharon Versyp. "She was just hard to defend for people, being 6-2, being able to shoot the three, being able to put it on the floor, post up. We're hoping we can use that whole dynamic of versatility to get the most out of her to help the growth of our team." — Kyle Charters Tom Campbell Bridget Perry's versatility is much needed, particu- larly in Purdue's new offense. nament games, she averaged 13.5 points and 6.5 as- sists, while shooting nearly 48 percent from the field. "(We need her) a lot more efficient," Versyp said, "and she will (improve) just because she's so much stronger and is in so much better shape right now. And I think when you're playing 30-to-35 minutes a game, you've got to be able to be strong. She's done well in that area. "And she's just fun to coach, she's smiling, she's en- ergized, she's having a good time, that's all part of it." On the wing, Purdue is hoping Andreona Keys can build upon a solid freshman debut. Although she was