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72 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED could combine to fill 40 post minutes. Are they there? Probably closer. Horrocks, a 6-5 center who started seven games for the Boilermakers, averaged 4.4 points and 2.9 re- bounds in about 15 minutes per game. Versyp would like to see the board work improve, but also have Horrocks be better defensively, able to move to stay with post players but also push them out of the paint. "I always want to rebound better," Horrocks said. "And I think it's coming along. The defense is a lot better too. I've got my timing down on blocking shots and when to send the shot across the gym and when I will stand there and contest, making better deci- sions, not getting into foul trouble. "It's so much understanding now, after two years of being out there in all these different scenarios. I know what should be done." The Boilermakers will face challenges in the Big Ten, particularly at the top where Ohio State and Purdue Purdue will still play Bridget Perry as a stretch 4, but her primary position will be on the wing, where she's better suited. Murphy Holds The Key T iara Murphy sat for a lot of last season. But she wasn't idle. The point guard tried to spend that time learning as much as possible from veteran point guard April Wil- son, so that when it was her turn, she was ready. And now it's her turn. "I just had to take in everything that she was giving and watch her," said Murphy, a 5-foot-7 sophomore. "Every practice, I think I improved and every game I learned something different. Just coming up to the last game, that showed my progress." It did. Murphy's best was her last outing, when she came off the bench to score six points in 12 minutes, while battling the flu, against Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament. But it wasn't only the production, but the flare in which Murphy delivered. She looked fearless, not exactly what might be expected of a player who had been a seldom-used reserve previously. "I had in the back of my mind, 'Just push through. Just push through,'" said Murphy, who had missed prac- tice the day before the game in order to rest. "I got out there and knocked down a couple of shots and that boosted my confidence also moving forward to this year." Now, this year, a lot is riding on Murphy's performance. Purdue's only other true point is freshman Miracle Gray, although it will also use scorer Ashley Morrissette at the head of the offense. That, Sharon Versyp says, should alleviate pressure on the young guard. "The point guard position, obviously with Murph, is going to be a key ingredient that we (need) to perform at a high level," Versyp said. — Kyle Charters