Sunday will be a special day for No. 14 Maryland women’s basketball as it will host its annual Senior Day at Xfinity Center. But this rendition is a bit different.
None of the seniors who will be honored on Sunday has spent their whole career with Maryland. That’s something that would’ve been unheard of throughout most of head coach Brenda Frese’s tenure.
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The Terps will honor Saylor Poffenbarger, Mir McLean and Yarden Garzon before playing against Purdue at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
“We’re looking forward to Sunday to be able to celebrate our seniors,” Frese said.
Purdue Boilermakers (12-14, 4-11 Big Ten)
Head coach Katie Gearlds is in her fifth season with the Boilermakers. She has gone to one NCAA Tournament — making it to the First Four in 2022-23 — and doesn’t look on track for another this season.
Purdue has four Big Ten wins, and one was a sizable upset. The Boilermakers took down then-No. 23 Washington in overtime — a team the Terps lost to in overtime this season.
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Otherwise, Purdue’s resumé has been relatively unimpressive. Its only other conference wins were against Rutgers, Indiana and Wisconsin. The Boilermakers have kept some of their losses close, but the majority have been sizable defeats.
Players to watch
Tara Daye, redshirt junior guard, 5-foot-10, No. 44 – Daye is in her first season with Purdue after spending time with St. John’s and DePaul. She has found her stride with the Boilermakers, leading Purdue with 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in her best college season yet. She is also Purdue’s second-best playmaker, averaging 2.5 assists per game. Purdue doesn’t have a true star, but Daye has been its best player this season.
Kiki Smith, junior guard, 5-foot-7, No. 23 – Smith is in her first season with the Boilermakers after spending last season with Arkansas. She also spent a season at Hutchinson CC and won the 2024 NJCAA DI Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. This season, she averages 10.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
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Lana McCarthy, sophomore forward, 6-foot-4, No. 35 – McCarthy is in her second season with Purdue and is the team’s predominant big option. This season, she averages 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. She returned to the lineup on Thursday against Iowa after missing the previous two games.
Strength
Not much. There isn’t a metric where Purdue is in the top half of the Big Ten. The Boilermakers make more 3-pointers and field goals than opponents, but their percentages are worse. They grab more rebounds and have more assists than opponents, but are 15th and 14th compared to the rest of the conference.
Weakness
Defense. Purdue has a plethora of weak areas. That said, the Boilermakers’ defense allows 71.3 points per game, which is fourth-worst in the Big Ten. Their average scoring differential is -1.2. That said, the Boilermakers have been significantly worse in Big Ten play, allowing 80.5 points per game — second-most in the conference. Purdue gets outscored by over 14 points per game in conference play.
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Three things to know
1. Saylor Poffenbarger’s goodbye. From nearby Middletown, a Maryland Senior Day for Poffenbarger is special. That said, she had stops at UConn and Arkansas before returning home to the Terps. In her two seasons with Maryland, she averages 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
“Having a bye week, it kind of allows the emotions to come a little earlier,” Poffenbarger said. “Being able to come here and finish here… It’s a full circle moment.”
2. The bye week should help. Over the past two months, Maryland lacked much off time. When it had it, usually it came with some sort of travel. But the Terps have not played since Sunday, which should help them regroup heading into the end of the regular season and the postseason.
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“Our bye week comes at the perfect time. It’s been really good for us to be able to really get some much-needed rest for our starters and for our group that’s playing a lot of heavy minutes,” Frese said.
3. Ozzy-Momodu’s health. Isi Ozzy-Momodu suffered a lower-leg injury Sunday against Ohio State and didn’t return after the first quarter. According to Frese, she is potentially available, but it wouldn’t be surprising if she didn’t play on Sunday.
“I’m glad that we have this bye week to be able to progress her. But truly, day to day,” Frese said.
