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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 28, Digital 2

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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2 72 Big Ten Tournament. The Atlanta native averaged 10.8 points per game, ty- ing Stephanie White for sixth-most in school history by a freshman, and her 61 three-pointers set a new school record for rookies. Versyp would like to see Oden expand her game in her second season, becoming more of a scorer than a shoot- er. And Oden too would see that as a step in the right direction. The 5-8 guard hit 37 percent of her triples last Who runs the show? Undoubtedly, this is the biggest question facing Pur- due. It seems hard to believe that Karissa McLaughlin won't eventually win out, even if the freshman is more of a combination guard than a point. But with soph- omore Dominique Oden likely to take up the bulk of the minutes at the 2 and Andreona Keys at the 3, Pur- due needs to find a way to get McLaughlin on the floor as much as possible. She's an incredible shooter, with range that extends well beyond the three-point line, with court savvy and a high basketball IQ. Those traits should allow her to run the offense, even as a rookie. Does Purdue have a low-post scorer? As a freshman, Ae'Rianna Harris averaged 7.2 points per game while shooting better than 52 percent from the field. But the undersized post — she's 6-foot-1 — wasn't a consistent back-to-the-basket scorer. She will need to be this season if the Boilermakers want to have any sort of balance between their inside scoring and out. The perimeter is seemingly set, with Oden, Mc- Laughlin, Keys and perhaps Tiara Murphy, but candi- dates to get easier points inside the paint might not be as clear. If Harris doesn't further develop as a low-post offensive presence, then defenses will be able to rotate their resources to slowing down the Boilermakers' pe- rimeter threats. Filling the 4? Purdue was stung by the offseason transfer of Dom- inique McBryde, a player who had shown flashes of potential as a freshman before slumping as a sopho- more. She's now at Arizona. It cost the Boilermakers an experienced low-post scorer and rebounder. Now, Purdue will rely on youth, most likely a combination of freshmen Tamara Farquhar and Dani Lawson. Farqu- har likely projects as a guard in the future but, much like Bridget Perry did previously, will be forced to move into the post. Farquhar is undeveloped offensively but a great athlete. And Lawson, at 6-2, provides a bit more size. — Kyle Charters BURNING QUESTIONS Charles Jischke Though she's more of a shooter than a distributor, freshman Karissa McLaughlin might be asked to run the point this season.

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