Caitlyn Harper bounces back as Purdue women's basketball builds confidence
WEST LAFAYETTE — Three days after a scoreless performance, Caitlyn Harper was back to her old self.
We're talking her old, old self, back when she was the go-to player as a post for Cal Baptist.
Harper joined the Purdue women's basketball roster last season as a graduate transfer.
The transition saw Harper have some big nights, notably 20 points at Penn State. It was Harper's only 20-point game of the season after she'd accumulated 19 such performances in four years at Cal Baptist.
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On Wednesday, after going scoreless in Sunday's win over Valparaiso, Harper scored 22 points in Purdue's 83-57 victory over Southeast Missouri State.
"Playing in the Big Ten is tough," Harper said. "Any given night, we have so much talent on our team that it can be anyone's game. So going forward, I am going to do my best to stay consistent, but at the end of the day, it just comes down to if Purdue wins."
Wednesday was Purdue's fourth straight win with the Big Ten opener at Minnesota on Sunday up next.
The Boilermakers (6-3) are 5-0 at Mackey Arena, but won't play at home again until Dec. 20.
Did Harper's scoring burst, along with contributions 10 deep despite missing Rashunda Jones, a scratch for health reasons per coach Katie Gearlds, show this team is ready for the gauntlet ahead?
Purdue has just two non-conference games remaining: at Notre Dame and vs. Indiana State.
"Good confidence builder," Gearlds called Wednesday's game.
Gearlds utilized 10 players. Nine of them scored. Four of them poured in double figures.
And Jeanae Terry had the first double-double in women's college basketball this season that didn't include points, finishing with one point to go with 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
"Just having a lot of people around me that I know can score the basketball and setting them up brings me joy," Terry said.
Madison Layden stayed hot, making 4 of 8 3-pointers and scoring 16. Point guard Abbey Ellis had 13 points. Freshman Mary Ashley Stevenson becomes a bigger star nightly, this time scoring 11 points to go with seven rebounds and being the perfect complement to Harper.
"I think we have a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence going into Sunday's game," Terry said. "Just seeing the four games in a row, being able to protect Mackey, being able to go on the road and play in another crowd, another arena, is incredible for us now having to go on the road playing at Minnesota."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball builds confidence with Big Ten opener approaching
