Five things to know about Purdue Women's Basketball

Purdue women's basketball brought excitement back to Mackey Arena after reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2023 after a 6-year absence from March Madness.

The program brings together a new cast of contributors along with savvy veterans that contributed to Purdue's success.

Here's a brief look at what the Boilermakers accomplished during their second season under head coach Katie Gearlds.

Purdue women's basketball 2022-2023 recap:

• Finished 19-11 (9-8 Big Ten Conference)

• Wins against ranked opponents Ohio State and Indiana.

• Beat #10 ranked Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.

• Lost to No. 11 seed St. John's in the NCAA Tournament first round in Columbus.

• Cassidy Hardin set the Purdue basketball record, men's or women's, playing in her 142nd career game.

• Returning fifth-year senior Abbey Ellis shot 77-of-84 (91.7%) from the free throw line, the third highest mark in program history.

Purdue looking to build off last year's success by showing it can contend for an NCAA Tournament spot and break through as one of the the top 25 teams in the country.

Here are five things to know before the Boilermakers open their season against No. 4 ranked UCLA this Monday in Pauley Pavilion.

1. Purdue's nonconference schedule filled with championship and top 25 contenders

Gearlds remembered the first game she ever played as a freshman in 2003.

Gearlds remembered the crowd being packed at Mackey Arena with Purdue being ranked No. 9 and pitting itself against No. 5-ranked Kansas State.

Gearlds would score the very first points in what became a standout college career and Purdue took down the eventual Big 12 regular season winners 79-69.

"I think we had a good crowd like 10,000 plus," Gearlds said.

Two decades later and Gearlds is guiding Purdue and five freshmen in their first game as an unranked program against No. 5 UCLA for its season opener.

Gearlds was the leading scorer for the Boilermakers when the two storied programs met in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006.. The former guard scored 15 points and led the Boilermakers to the Sweet 16.

"That was my job was to make sure we were locked in for our seniors," Gearlds said. "It's a very similar situation, we just got a lot more young kids. Then, it was just me and (former guard) Sharika Webb back in the day. We'll be prepared."

Purdue will play three straight ACC and SEC opponents consecutively Nov. 16 and Nov. 22 against Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia. The Boilermakers will square off against the Gators and Bulldogs in the Bahamas.

Purdue will play its final non-league matchup against Notre Dame on Dec. 17.

2. Key pieces return for the Boilermakers

Ellis, guards Jeanae Terry, Madison Layden and sixth-year forward Caitlyn Harper are the four senior returners for Purdue.

Ellis is the floor general at point guard for Purdue who averaged 11.2 points per game and shot 47.5% from the floor. Harper scored 10.4 points per game and shot 54.7% from the field. Terry averaged 6.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Layden averaged 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season.

"We've got a long way to go to get to where Purdue once was and where UCLA is now," Gearlds said. "Our young kids are locked in and we talk all the time and our kids one through 13 love Purdue."

3. Purdue leaning on talented freshman class

Purdue freshmen guards Rashunda Jones, McKenna Layden, Mary Ashley Stevenson, Emily Monson and Sophie Swanson are expected to play significant minutes.

Jones and Stevenson left the highest impressions for fans during an exhibition game against Quincy University on Oct. 29. Jones, a former Miss Indiana Basketball runner-up at South Bend Washington, showed her ability to defend ball handlers full court and attack the basket.

Stevenson showed her ability to hit 3-pointers on a night where the Boilermakers shot 50%.

But that was an exhibition game. Taking on UCLA is a different beast altogether.

UCLA returns 2023 Preseason All-American honorable mention shooting guard Charisma Osborne, point guard Kiki Rice, a strong-bodied scorer, and added 6-foot-7 sophomore Stanford transfer Lauren Betts.

"It's just cool the history of Pauley (Pavilion) where John Wooden coached all those years," Gearlds said. "You walk around and you see all the John Wooden quotes here and everything that happens there. Hopefully there's a familiarity with the legend here that was the legend there as well."

4. Maryland transfer Mila Reynolds looking to assert herself in rotation

Mila Reynolds could play a factor in the starting rotation or off the bench for the Boilermakers.

Reynolds played basketball at South Bend Washington and is a former high school teammate of Jones. Her soft touch, the footwork to gain inside position and score will be just as vital as the defense she can provide at 6-foot-2.

5. Could Smith be Purdue's breakout star?

Purdue junior guard Jayla Smith put together a strong performance in her team's lone exhibition game.

Smith displayed the ability to hit shots from mid-range, score through contact and looks more confident on the floor passing and establishing an offensive rhythm against Quincy after averaging 7.8 points per game last season.

The training wheels come off as Purdue heads to Los Angeles for the first game of the season. Tipoff starts at 8:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

Ethan Hanson started working for the Journal & Courier in West Lafayette, Indiana after four years at the Record Searchlight in Redding, CA. He previously freelanced with the Los Angeles Daily News for four years. Follow him on Twitter at @EthanAHansonand ethan_a_hanson on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women's basketball 5 things to know