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W O M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L Gold and Black's Women's Hoops Lineup The Starters KK Houser 22 G • 5-6 • Jr. Houser's turnover average is down and her shooting percentage up, particularly from long range, a combination that has her playing the best of her career. In the first 10 games of this season, she was averaging 4.8 assists and 3.6 turnovers per game. A year ago, the ratio was close to 1-to-1. She was also Purdue's leading scorer through 10 games, thanks largely to her 43.5 threepoint shooting percentage. Courtney Moses 15 G • 5-6 • Jr. Moses seems to have come out of her sophomore slump just fine. The preseason All-Big Ten selection averaged more than 12 points per game in her first 10, shooting 46 percent overall and nearly 44 percent from long distance. But aside from the shooting improvement, she's a much more well-rounded player now too; for a small guard, she rebounds well, and she's made gains on the defensive end. Dee Dee Williams 20 Sam Ostarello 32 G • 6-0 • Jr. Williams was inserted into the starting lineup following the injury to Poston early in the season. It's a nice luxury to have for Purdue, which has used Williams in a starting role previously. She's not going to wow offensively, as she's shooting only 28.6 percent, but she's not going to do things outside her comfort zone and she has a positive assist-toturnover ratio. F • 6-2 • Sr. Ostarello is capable of huge games, like she had against Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and TennesseeeMartin, and some others, but she can have duds, too. But one would hope she could cut down on the latter. Ostarello is averaging a near double-double and is near the top of the league in rebounding. Drey Mingo 24 F • 6-2 • Sr. (6) Mingo doesn't yet look in top form, coming back from the ACL surgery that sidelined her all of last season. That said, she still averaged 11.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game through the first 10. But her legs look a little fatigued at times and she's shooting only 42 percent from the field. Once she gets her legs back in the next month or so, she'll likely start to shoot with more accuracy. The Reserves Hayden Hamby 10 Joslyn Massey 21 Liza Clemons 23 April Wilson 25 Camille Redmon 42 Taylor Manuel 50 G • 5-7 • Fr. With Purdue having a deep and experienced backcourt, minutes have been hard to come by for Hamby. She played in seven of the Boilers' first 10 games this season, and the former small-school player could see her time increase once she adjusts to this level. Three of her first five field goals were three-pointers. G • 5-7 • Fr. Wilson has made an impact on the Boilermakers from Day 1. She plays well beyond her years, and at times has been a steadying influence off the bench. Through the first 10 games of the season, she had seven more assists than turnovers, a sign of her maturity. Wilson's a better shooter than anticipated, too, hitting 10 of her first 22 three-point attempts. F • 6-0 • Fr. With Purdue injured on the wing — both Chantel Poston and Torrie Thornton were sidelined as of mid-December — Massey has had an opportunity to jump into the rotation in a few games. But only for limited minutes. A superior athlete who is raw offensively, Massey has scored only two points on two free throws through 10 games. C • 6-4 • So. Purdue likes Redmon's length and potential defensively, so much so that she started an early-season game. But she also didn't play in two of the Boilers' first 10. At this point, Redmon has limited ability offensively, and has scored only a point with five turnovers. F • 6-2 • So. Clemons has worked her way into playing shape after missing most of conditioning this summer due to a shoulder injury. And she'll likely continue to see her minutes increase as the Big Ten approaches. She's been effective, averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in only eight minutes a game. PF • 6-2 • Fr. Manuel has not only found a place in Purdue's frontcourt rotation, but she's a game-changing type of player. Off the bench, she's averaging nearly nine points and three rebounds per game, while shooting 67 percent from the field in the first 10 games. She's a very skilled offensive player, with deceptive agility in the paint. The Shelf Whitney Bays 52 F • 6-2 • Jr. Bays is redshirting this season following knee surgery and a summer transfer from Maryland. Purdue has high hopes for her starting next season, provided she can return to the form she displayed in high school, before injury issues arrived. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Chantel Poston 43 SF • 5-10 • Sr. (5) Purdue's eyeing an early January return for Poston, who had surgery on her left knee after an injury against UConn. The Boilers have survived without their most athletic wing player, but considering the way Poston can score easy baskets and rebound, she'll be needed in the Big Ten. Torrie Thornton 4 F • 6-0 • So. Although nothing has been said officially, Thornton could be headed toward a redshirt season. She's been out since having surgeries on both knees in the offseason, and her return does not appear to be any time soon. Particularly with Poston out much of the non-conference, Purdue could have used her presence on the perimeter. GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 23, ISSUE 3 • 49