Indiana Women's Basketball Will Take on the Purdue Boilermakers for the Second Time This Season

The Hoosiers will face the Boilermakers at home this time on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Indiana claimed the Barn Burner Trophy in its last meeting with Purdue and have already had two games of practice since then without starting forward Mackenzie Holmes who's still out with a knee injury.

IU Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana will take on rival Purdue for the second time this season on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. ET.

Because of Indiana's 15-day COVID-19 break, the Hoosiers have only played two games since its last meeting with Purdue on Jan. 16 where Indiana won 73-68 in a thrilling overtime.

That matchup was also without starting junior forward Mackenzie Holmes who had just begun nursing a knee injury. Since then, the Hoosiers have lost to the Michigan Wolverines and defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers both at home.

"We've had conversations with Mack being out that Leks and Nikki and Ali and Grace all have to give us a little bit more," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said.

Senior forward Aleksa Gulbe did just that in the Minnesota game where she scored a career-high 28 points and went 4-for-4 from the arc. 

"Her shot outside the arc being more consistent has improved," Moren said. "She's a nice luxury to have. She's a nightmare for some defenders because of her size, but also the fact that she can step out."

Moren said Gulbe always gives "good juice" in the huddle by hyping up her team and showing great leadership when the score gets tight. She's a positive player with an exceptional attitude.

Senior guard Grace Berger has also had to put up more points in the absence of Holmes. She scored 19 points and had eight assists in the victory over the Golden Gophers.

"Everything about Grace gives me confidence that she can take over a game whenever Grace decides to do that from her work ethic to how competitive she is to her skillset," Moren said. "This kid is a pro. Great players make great plays, especially when their team needs it the most."

Moren is also relying on junior guard Grace Waggoner to step up from the bench to make meaningful plays.

"At Purdue, she probably made the biggest play of the game," Moren said. "One of the things about Wags that's unique about her is her length. When you play small, you can put her at the four, and she's used to being able to switch off any ball screen because she's kind of guard like."

Before the Purdue game on Sunday, Gulbe expressed she wants to get more rhythm back for her team following the COVID-19 break. The endurance hasn't been what it used to be, especially in the loss to Michigan.

While the endurance will certainly come in due time, Gulbe said there's no pressure on her because one player doesn't score all the points. It's everyone, she says.

Purdue is coming off of a pair of losses to Nebraska and Northwestern earlier this week. The Boilermakers are led by junior guard Madison Layden who's averaging 12.6 points per game .

This is the second time the Hoosiers will face the Boilermakers without their tall forward, but the team said they are always preparing for the next game.

"We just need to get our rhythm back and get our momentum going," Gulbe said. "That's what Coach tells us. Let's take it one game at a time. We have to be us.

How to watch Indiana vs. Purdue

• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (15-3, 7-1 Big Ten) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (13-9, 4-7 Big Ten)
• When: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Feb. 6
• Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
• TV: BTN+
• Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• HOOSIERS VS. SPARTANS IS BACK ON: Four games on Indiana's schedule have been postponed this season due to COVID-19 protocol. The matchup versus Michigan State is the first game to be rescheduled. Fans are encouraged to "Head to the Hall" for only $1 tickets on Feb. 12 for the rescheduled game. CLICK HERE. 
• INDIANA DEFEATS MINNESOTA BY 10 AFTER ELECTRIC FOURTH QUARTER: The No. 5-ranked Hoosiers remain undefeated at home in Big Ten play after beating Minnesota 80-70 in a near-empty Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Senior forward Aleksa Gulbe led Indiana with a career high 28 points going 11-for-15 from the field. CLICK HERE.
• HOOSIERS WILL FACE THE GOLDEN GOPHERS AT HOME: Welcome back to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for Indiana's first home game since Jan. 13. The Hoosiers will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers who are coming off of a win over Wisconsin earlier this week. CLICK HERE.