The Ollllld Oaken Bucket

It's a busy weekend to be a sports fan, especially a die-hard Boilermaker. The volleyball team became one of only four teams to take a set from the two-time defending national champion Penn State Nittany Lions this year. However, the Boilers were ultimately overpowered and fell in four sets. The wrestling team upset No. 9 Missouri on the road Friday. The men's basketball team won the first game of the Paradise jam in the Virgin Islands, and the women's basketball team cruised by Seattle in the first of their three game, round robin tournament. Two swimming and diving school records also fell on Friday.

And let's not forget the biggest game of the weekend. Purdue (4-7) has to travel to Gloomington today in order to retain the Old Oaken Bucket, in the annual matchup with in-state rival Indiana. (side note: it is Joe McConnell's last game calling the Boilermakers on the radio. Mute the awful commentators on your TV and tune into 95.3 to hear the voice of Purdue for the final time)

Purdue has an opportunity to have a 3,000 yard passer, a 1,000 yard receiver, and a 1,000 yard rusher this season for the first time in school history. The feat has only been accomplished 39 times by ANY school, EVER. Junior wide receiver Keith Smith has already done his part with 10,15 yards going into Saturday's game. Senior quarterback Joey Elliot needs just 179 yards through the air, and sophomore running back Ralph Bolden needs just 69 on the ground. Purdue hasn’t passed for less than 200 yards against Indiana since 1999. Even better for Elliott, he is coming off back-to-back 300-plus yard games, setting career-highs in each of the last two games. Indiana appears to be the perfect opponent for the task to be completed Saturday, as the Hoosiers bring one of the Big Ten’s worst defenses to Memorial Stadium. Indiana has the No. 10 defensive in the Big Ten, allowing 430 yards per game. The Hoosiers allow nearly 190 rushing yards and 240 passing yards a game. Bolden has rushed for at least 69 yards five times this season, though he’s needed at least 20 carries in four of those games.

Add all of this with at least three local high schools advancing to football semi-state this weekend, and my services were called upon to help out at the J+C. I covered the women's basketball game last night and will be there again tonight. So please, no spoiler phone calls or text messages on the Bucket game. I won't be able to watch until it's over. I hate knowing the result before I see the game.

Here is story #1 of the weekend. Stay tuned for more.

Purdue women make most of short bench in victory

Coach Sharon Versyp had eight available players Friday night, and every one of them contributed on the scoreboard in Purdue's 69-38 women's basketball rout of Seattle in Mackey Arena.

"I felt like we were in mud there for a little bit, and with our short bench it's very difficult to rotate players in." Versyp said. "If everybody can score then it takes the pressure off some of the other players that have to score for us game in and game out."

Not only did every able body contribute at least two points, they all grabbed at least one rebound as well. Seven of the eight pulled down an offensive board. Sophomore guard Brittany Rayburn led the charge with her second consecutive career-high scoring effort. She had 26 points, 15 of them coming from 3-point range.

"Tonight my shot was falling," Rayburn said. "I told the coaches I'm not going to have a shooting slump anymore, so I came into practice, got extra shots up and they were falling tonight."

With its currently sparse bench, scoring balance, hustle on the glass and on defense will be crucial for Purdue's immediate success.

The Boilermakers led from start to finish in the first game of the Basketball Travelers Classic. But it wasn't all as pretty as the final score suggests.

With just under nine minutes to play in the first half, Purdue (2-0) held only a 17-16 advantage over the Redhawks (0-3). Senior guard FahKara Malone got to the foul line on consecutive possessions to spark what would turn into a 34-6 Boilermaker run across the game's next 15 minutes.

Rayburn -- who complimented her scoring with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals -- scored 16 in this stretch, including four 3s. Senior guard Jodi Howell chipped in a 3 as well to further bust Seattle's zone defense.

"We were in the mud and we knew we had to get out of it as soon as possible," Rayburn said. "FahKara and Jodi were like, 'We've got to get something started.' We picked up the defense, and our defense turned into offense. That's what we need to do to get stuff going."

Versyp said she would have played zone if she were coaching Seattle.

"I would play zone in a heartbeat," she said. "It slows us down, and if we don't have specific players in we're not very good."

Sophomore center Chelsea Jones and freshman forward Ashley Wilson each scored career highs, chipping in 12 and six respectively. Jones had seven rebounds, while freshman forward Sam Ostarello pulled down nine, despite spending her time on the bench with her head in a trash can.

"Sam O has had the flu and is exceptionally sick, so at least she battled and she fought through the night," Versyp said.

In the second of the three-day round robin tournament, Purdue will play Dayton today at 5 p.m. The Boilermakers will welcome the return of Sam Woods following her NCAA-mandated two-game suspension. Seattle and Georgetown will follow at 7 p.m.