WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The rivalry is renewed. Purdue and Notre Dame, the two national championship programs from Indiana, will rekindle the fiery in-state rivalry this season.
After a six-year hiatus and no regular-season matchups since 2012, the storied women's basketball series between the Boilermakers and Fighting Irish will write its next chapter when Purdue makes the 112-mile journey to Purcell Pavilion on Dec. 17.
As part of a home-and-home series, the two clubs will meet at Mackey Arena during the non-conference portion of the 2024-25 campaign.
Purdue and Notre Dame have not played in the regular season since 2012-13, while the most recent contest came in the 2017 NCAA Tournament when the Fighting Irish outlasted Purdue 88-82 in overtime in South Bend.
Purdue leads the all-time series 14-13, but Notre Dame has won the last eight matchups. The Boilermakers last win came on Dec. 7, 2005, when then-junior Katie Gearlds scored 13 points with three rebounds and a pair of assists to lead No. 24 Purdue to a 65-54 victory over No. 10 Notre Dame.
Gearlds is entering her third campaign back at her alma mater after leading Purdue to back-to-back postseason appearances. In 2022-23, the Boilermakers knocked off a pair of ranked opponents, posted one of the best non-conference records in program history and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
The Boilermakers bring back five returners this year, including All-Big Ten Second Team selection Jeanae Terry. Gearlds inked five freshmen to NLIs back in November for the No. 21 class in the nation, before top-60 recruit Amiyah Reynolds picked Purdue in May.
Purdue added a pair of sophomore forwards from the transfer portal in Alaina Harper from Grand Canyon and Mila Reynolds from Maryland, sisters of Caitlyn Harper and Amiyah, respectively. Three sets of sisters will suit up in the old gold and black for the first time ever in the Reynolds, Harpers and McKenna Layden and Madison Layden.
The December bout with the Fighting Irish will be a homecoming of sorts for a trio of Boilermakers from South Bend. The Reynolds sisters and Rashunda Jones went 68-17 together over three seasons as a part of a South Bend Washington dynasty, culminating with the 2022 IHSAA 3A State Championship.
Notre Dame enters its fourth year under head coach Niele Ivey. The reigning ACC Coach of the Year has guided the Fighting Irish to the 2022-23 ACC regular season championship and back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. As a player, Ivey, led Notre Dame to a 68-66 win the 2001 NCAA National Championship Game over Purdue.