WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – FDU women's basketball begins their 2025-26 season with a road trip to face Purdue. Tip-off is at 7 p.m on Monday, November 3. It is the first ever meeting between FDU and Purdue in women's basketball.
 

THE BASICS

• Date: November 3
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Where: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.)
• TV: B1G+
• Live Stats: Stats Broadcast

SOMETHING TO PROVE

• The Knights were unanimously selected as the number one team in the 2025-26 NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll
  • It is the second year in a row that the Knights have been picked as the unanimous preseason favorite.
• FDU will be lead by the reigning Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year in Stephanie Gaitley, who begins her third season at the helm in Hackensack.
• Ava Renninger, named a team captain, will help lead the Knights following a 2024-25 season that saw her win NEC Rookie of the Year, and be selected to the All-NEC First Team.
• The Knights will look to follow up a 2024-25 campaign that saw them go 29-4, en route to an NEC title and the first trip to the NCAA tournament in program history. 

HISTORIC TIES

• The 2022-23 FDU men's basketball team made history, becoming just the second 16 seed ever to upset a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, beating #1 Purdue on March 17, 2023.
• The meeting between FDU women's basketball and Purdue on Monday will be the first time that FDU and Purdue have faced each other in any sporting event since the historic upset. 

ACROSS THE SIDELINES

• Purdue heads into the season looking to build off of a 2024-25 campaign that saw them go 10-19.
• Head coach Katie Gearlds will begin her fifth season at the helm of the Boilermakers.
• Purdue rolls out a fresh roster in 2025-26, featuring 10 newcomers. 
  • Purdue's incoming class features impact transfers such as reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year Nya Smith, and First Team All-Big Sky Member Taylor Feldman.

COMING SOON

Following the matchup against Purdue on Monday, the Knights will remain in Indiana to face Notre Dame on Wednesday, November 5. Tip-off comes at 7 p.m.