Purdue vs. Nebraska Photo Gallery Part Two

Here are the pictures from the second half and the three overtimes from Thursdays game. I was even getting tired of taking pictures near the end so there are not too many late. I wish that the game had ended differently, but of course it didn’t. Both teams showed tremendous determination during the game, and somebody had to lose the game. Below are some of the pictures that I liked from the end of the game.

KK Houser with no place to go down low

"Let's cross our fingers and hope that this play ends the game"

Purdue vs. Nebraska Photo Gallery Part One

Since the game was so long yesterday I decided to split the photo gallery up into two sections. This first one will cover the first half of the game.

Lincoln, Nebraska native KK Houser gets stretched out prior to the game

Sophomore Courtney Moses warms up with a high leg kick. I didn't see the sign but I am guessing fastball

A Historic Game

If only this shot had gone in at the buzzer in regulation

Tonight I went to my second sporting event of the year. This site is called Confessions of a Sports Junkie, not Confessions of a Guy Who Occasionally attends games. For some reason though things have not worked out to allow me to attend games. I really wanted to see the top 25 matchup between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This game was very big because first place in the Big Ten was on the line. A win by the Boilers and they stay a game ahead of Ohio State, and a loss puts them in a tie with Nebraska for the lead with Ohio State just a 1/2 game out. 

Purdue vs. Texas A&M Photo Gallery

Today the Purdue women faced off against the defending National Champions who came into the game ranked 4th. Purdue was coming off a tough loss at Duke, and needed a win badly. The pulled off the win delighting the crowd at the renovated Mackey Arena. The Boilers faced a very tough Aggie team today. They were very physical, and I thought that it would eventually do the Boilers in. When the lead got to nine I remember thinking just don’t let it get too bad. Memories of the 40+ point loss last season in College Station are still very fresh. Not only did they keep it close the turned things around by eighteen points to win by nine. It was good to see such a big win in person. I haven’t been to as many games as I would have liked, but I wouldn’t have missed this one. Here are some pictures that I liked from the game today.

No game can start until the tuba's (I know they aren't tuba's) perform at center court

I love the way the girls react when Brittany Rayburn is introduced

My Mackey Tour

Tonight I was at the windmills getting some pictures when I got a call. For some reason I had completely missed the fact that there was a public tour tonight. I hurried back to town to get to see the updated arena up close. That is another positive of moving to West Lafayette is that things like this are now possible. We got there fairly late so we had to move quickly to get to see everything so I tried to shoot on the go. No real setups so some of the pictures aren’t technically correct, but I think they get the point across. The highlight of the night though had to be getting to shoot at the hoop opposite the tunnel. I don’t want to make excuses, but I missed my first shot off the back of the rim. In my defense though it was a three from the corner with my camera bag on my back. I took a second shot and nailed it. I am sure everyone was sick of me saying that I am 50% from behind the arc in Mackey by the end of the night. We had a great time though, and the arena looks great. Here are a few pictures that show some of the improvements up close. I know that the employees are probably ready for a break after the long opening weekend, but it was nice of them to open their gates for us to see the arena.

The view from under the basket

I love how the new tunnel looks from the inside

Purdue Women Finish Off The Perfect Weekend

KK Houser driving to the basket early

Today I went back to Mackey Arena to see the Purdue Women open their season. After a great weekend already in Purdue sports it was up to the ladies to cap it off. Of course they won in deciding fashion to start the season 1-0. The thing that I love the most about the Purdue women’s games is how close to the action I can get. I managed to get into the lower bowl and snapped a couple of pictures from my vantage point. I had to leave the game early because of an emergency at work, but it was still nice to see the girls on the court again. My only regret is that Drey Mingo was not out there with them, but she was still there in street clothes smiling at anyone who she thought needed it. She really is a great role model for young athletes. On a positive note KK Houser made her return to the court today. She looked good, and did not show any signs of the injury she suffered in the opener last season. Overall this could be a really good season for the Boiler women.

For the second time in three days the American flag is stretched across the floor of Mackey Arena