Sharon Versyp adds two for 2013-2014 season

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Head coach Sharon Versyp and the Purdue women’s basketball staff added two talented players to the Boilermaker family Wednesday, as Ashley Morrissette and Bridget Perry signed National Letters of Intent to begin competing for the Old Gold and Black in the 2013-14 season.

The two-woman class is ranked No. 23 nationally (third in the Big Ten Conference behind Penn State and Northwestern) by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.

Morrissette, a 5-foot-9 guard from Twinsburg H.S. in Ohio, helped lead her team to two straight Division 1 state championships. As a junior, Morrissette averaged 15 points, four assists, four rebounds and three assists per game and she was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 Ohio State Championship.

“Ashley can play both the point and shooting guard positions,” Versyp said. “She has good court vision and is a savvy, poised and steady player at the point. Ashley has the ability to get past her defender and will finish at the rim, and she also is a great three-point shooter who reads screens very well.

“Defensively, she uses her quickness, good timing and long arms to get deflections for steals. She takes competitiveness to another level and is one of those young ladies that cannot stand to lose, ever. Meanwhile, Ashley has a calming presence and she is the kind of player who makes everyone on the floor with her better.”

Perry, a 6-2 guard/wing from Indianapolis Roncalli High School, is a two-time first team all-state selection. She averaged 19.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.9 steals per game as a junior and played in the Indiana Junior All-Star Game. She finished with eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 18 minutes in win over Indiana All-Stars.

“Bridget has the ability to be one of the most versatile players we have signed here at Purdue, with the ability to play the one through four,” Versyp said. “She is primarily a combo, two-three guard who can handle the basketball extremely well, has great court sense and is a good passer.

“She is a good 1-on-1 player who can get to the rim, but she’s tough to defend because she also can shoot the pull-up jumper or the three-pointer. At 6-foot-2, Bridget will cause match-up problems for the defense. She rebounds well from a variety of positions.”