PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO PARTICIPATE IN PINK ZONE CHALLENGE ON FEB. 15, 2009

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue women's basketball will again participate in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Pink Zone on Feb. 15. The Boilermakers play host to Illinois at 1 p.m. ET in Mackey Arena in a contest that will be nationally broadcast on ESPN2. New this year, Purdue will headline an elite group of 15 collegiate women's basketball programs that have committed to participate in the inaugural Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Pink Zone Challenge. The Challenge will be a friendly fund-raising competition, with participants charged with trying to collect the most money through the Pink Zone initiative (formerly known as "Think Pink"), a global, unified effort for the WBCA's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The Boilermakers will be wearing special NIKE uniforms that are white with pink trim and will be sporting pink accessories that include pink warm-up t-shirts, white and pink shoes with pink shoelaces, pink headbands and wristbands and socks with pink stripes. Fans are encouraged to wear pink along with the Boilermakers and help raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. Donation opportunities are available by making a $1 pledge for each free throw made by the Boilermakers in the game or by purchasing a memory card to be displayed in Mackey Arena. The white and pink Nike game jerseys will be part of a silent auction that will be held during the game and all proceeds will benefit the Indianapolis affiliate of Komen for the Cure, a foundation dedicated to breast cancer research. Purdue Athletics is also sponsoring a health care fair in the concourse of Mackey Arena before the start of the women's basketball game. Fans can visit with health care professionals to learn how to protect themselves and others against cancer, as well as learn about how to help find a cure. If you are a breast cancer survivor or have a family member living with breast cancer, contact the Purdue marketing and promotions office at sportspromo@purdue.edu to participate in a special halftime ceremony on Keady Court in Mackey Arena. Each eligible participant who registers by Feb. 11 will receive a complimentary ticket for admission to the Pink Zone game against Illinois. Tickets can be purchased at the Purdue Athletics Ticket Office in the IAF, by calling 800-49-SPORT or online at purduesports.com. Adult tickets are $12 and youth/student tickets are $3, or purchase a family four-pack for just $20. The silent auction will include 14 game-worn jerseys and a NIKE basketball with the breast cancer ribbon logo. The auction will begin when the doors open at noon and end at the start of the second half. Silent auction purchases as well as all donations can be made by cash or check; no credit cards will be accepted. Checks must be made payable to the Purdue Research Foundation with proceeds to benefit the Indianapolis affiliate of Komen for the Cure. Additionally, the commemorative warm-up t-shirts are available to the general public at Purdue Pride and all Lafayette area Follett's bookstores. For each shirt sold, NIKE will donate $2 to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund to support breast cancer awareness and research. The WBCA Pink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone™, formerly known as "Think Pink", in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year a success. In 2008, over 1,200 teams and organizations participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising over $930,000 for breast cancer awareness and research. The first-ever WBCA Pink Zone Challenge will take place during one specially-designated home game from Feb. 13 to 22, 2009, although some schools may not have a home game scheduled within that time frame and will compete as close to that window as possible. Participating schools will report their total fund-raising amounts by March 15, 2009, to Megan Smith, the WBCA's Manager of New Initiatives. The inaugural WBCA Pink Zone Challenge winner will be announced during the WBCA National Convention at the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four, which is slated to take place April 5 and 7 in St. Louis. The winning school will be presented with a special trophy, to be provided by Notre Dame. - P -