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History Awaits Purdue Women's Basketball On Sunday

Katie Gearlds and Purdue women's basketball accomplished a feat that had never been done in program history last week by beating a top five Ohio State team on the road. The Boilermakers are going to be a part of history once again in Mackey Arena on Sunday.

"You think about, you know, all the history here and who's come through and played here. When I played, we never sold out," Gearlds said.

For the third time in program history, and first since 2000, Mackey Arena is sold out for a Purdue women's basketball game.

The occasion?

A high-profile matchup with No. 4 Indiana in West Lafayette.

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Senior guard Abbey Ellis is chomping at the bit to experience the sold out crowd on Sunday afternoon. She says her teammates shared those same sentiments when they found out that attendance was going to become a reality.

"It was insane. Like every time it said like 2000 tickets, 1500, 500, we were all just sending in the group chat and going crazy," Ellis said. "It's something that we never thought we would experience, but us girls put in the hard work."

One of Ellis' teammates, senior Caitlyn Harper, has yet to experience a Purdue vs. Indiana game after transferring in this season from Cal Baptist. Harper has heard all about the rivalry, but is excited to experience it first hand.

"I heard how intense it gets and how crazy the fans are and just experiencing that atmosphere and really seeing the rivalry and being in it. I'm looking forward to it," Harper said.

The Boilermakers are preparing to host the first of two games against their arch-rival, Indiana, in what could be one of the top environments in program history. For head coach Katie Gearlds, Sunday's game will mean a little more with the building anticipation.

"Honestly I don't know if I have the words. It'll probably choke me up a minute walking down the ramp," Gearlds said.

The last time Purdue played in front of a full capacity crowd in Mackey Arena, Gearlds was four years away from arriving on campus. She has tried to emphasize to her players just how much this moment means for them.

"Having an opportunity that we did last week and take care of business on the road and the opportunity to play in front of 14,000 on Sunday in Mackey. You know, those are the moments you're going to remember for the rest of your life," Gearlds said.

In recent weeks, Gearlds has talked about winning being "enough" for her team. She is getting the Boilermakers to focus on winning basketball games as opposed to how they fill up the stat sheet.

"Nobody's gonna remember, you know, how many points you scored or how many minutes you played," Gearlds said. "What legacy do you want to leave behind?"

The Boilermakers can build on that legacy with a win over a National Championship contender this weekend.

The Train Is Rolling:

Purdue's recent success has only added to the stakes of the in-state rivalry matchup. The Boilermakers have moved up the Big Ten standings over the last two weeks and are currently 7th in the conference.

After a fourth quarter meltdown and a home loss to Nebraska, Purdue was sitting at 3-5 in Big Ten play with its toughest stretch of the season on the horizon.

"Since then our group has taken a little bit more ownership in scouts and practices and the opportunity that they have here," Katie Gearlds said.

The Boilermakers rebounded with three straight wins over Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Illini were both ranked in the AP Top 25 when Purdue knocked them off last week. Purdue capped off the week by defeating No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus last Sunday. That win was the first road victory over a top five team in program history.

"It was a good response from our ball club," Gearlds said.

Abbey Ellis said the team was aware of what was awaiting them following the Nebraska loss, but they trusted the process and were rewarded with a pair of marquee wins.

"It was going to be a hard stretch. We knew that, but we took it game by game," Ellis said.

Ellis is the driving force behind Purdue's recent success as she's taken on a bigger role with the team. The Aussie is averaging 18 points per game over her last five appearances while shooting 54% from the field and 48% from three-point range. Ellis attributes her success to Purdue's growing cohesion on the offensive end of the floor.

"I think it's our ball movement. I think we're moving the ball side to side which is making the defenders work a bit more and getting those open shots," Ellis said.

The winning streak and midseason turnaround sets up the most intriguing game in the Katie Gearlds era for Purdue. Despite all of the hype, the Boilermakers are sticking with what got them here.

Another Tall Task Ahead:

The Boilermakers now turn their attention to one of the best teams in not only the Big Ten, but the country. Gearlds had high praise for the Hoosiers ahead of Purdue's matchup.

"They'll be the best team that I've coached against since I've been here. They're really really good. Not a lot of weaknesses. They don't beat themselves," Gearlds said.

Indiana has won 9 straight games since suffering its only defeat of the season against Michigan State on December 29th. The Hoosiers have climbed all the way up to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 poll and are legitimate National Championship hopefuls.

Although Indiana is among the nation's best teams this season, it's business as usual for Katie Gearlds and the Boilermakers.

"It's always 1-0, that's got to be our mindset. You know, it just happens to be playing Indiana and they happen to be a top five team," Gearlds said.

Gearlds has echoed that to her team as they prepare for their toughest test of the season.

"It's all about mental toughness," Ellis said of Gearlds' message. "Last week was great, but as she said, you know, enjoy it and then focus on IU and how we play."

The catalyst of Indiana's success has been forward Mackenzie Holmes. The 6-3 senior is an All-Big Ten first-team lock and figures to be an All-American by season's end.

Holmes is 7th in the country in points per game with 22.3 and second in the Big Ten, behind only National Player of the Year candidate Caitlin Clark of Iowa. Indiana's go-to scoring option is also third in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 69.2% from the field this season.

Purdue has played a few elite post players this season in Iowa's Monika Czinano, Michigan's Emily Kiser and Illinois' Kendall Bostic, but Katie Gearlds considers Holmes to be the best of them all.

"Czinano is really good, but Holmes might be the best big in our [conference]," Gearlds said.

Holmes will be matched up with Purdue bigs Caitlyn Harper and Rickie Woltman on Sunday, who will look to slow down one of the best players in the country. Harper knows the challenges Holmes poses for herself and the Boilermakers.

"She's so skilled. She's just a great player and it's gonna be a tough matchup for me and our whole team, because she can score in so many different ways," Harper said.

The Hoosiers also have a great supporting cast around their All-American forward. A trio of guards, Grace Berger, Sydney Parrish and Yarden Garzon are all averaging double-figures and have played well defensively for Indiana.

The Boilermakers are aiming to create a massive upset in a game that they have had circled on their calendar since the schedule was announced. They'll have that opportunity in less than 36 hours in Mackey Arena.

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