WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team unveiled its non-conference slate for the 2025-26 season with eight games set for Mackey Arena.
The Boilermakers will head into their fifth season under head coach Katie Gearlds, reaching the postseason three times in her first four campaigns, with a reloaded and experienced roster, including the returning trio of McKenna Layden, Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear.
Gearlds welcomed back fifth year senior Madison Layden-Zay to the program after graduating in 2024. Layden is one of six players in Purdue history to knock down over 200 3-pointers in a career and her 206 triples stand just 38 shy of the school record.
Purdue targeted the portal to bring in veteran experience in Taylor Feldman (Northern Arizona), Tara Daye (St. John’s) Kiki Smith (Arkansas), Taylor Henderson (UNC Wilmington), Saige Stahl (Indiana State) and Nya Smith (UNC Greensboro).
The Boilermakers also welcomed the talented freshmen duo of Israeli international Hila Karsh and 6-foot-7 Brownsburg native Avery Gordon.
After an exhibition against Purdue Northwest on Oct. 27 at Mackey Arena, the Boilermakers will open the 2025-26 campaign with back-to-back home games against Fairleigh Dickinson and Eastern Illinois on Nov. 3 and Nov. 6, respectively.
Purdue will hit the road for the next two contests at Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 12 and Kentucky on Nov. 18. It marks the first time Purdue will be on the road twice in its opening four games since Gearlds’ first season back in West Lafayette in 2021-22.
The Boilermakers will close out play before Thanksgiving with a pair of home dates against Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 23 and Howard on Nov. 26.
Purdue will make their first trip to Central Michigan since 2017 for a Nov. 30 clash, before returning to Mackey Arena to face Evansville on Dec. 3.
Following a to-be-announced Big Ten opener, the Boilermakers will close out the non-conference slate with three straight games at Mackey Arena against Lipscomb (Dec. 11), Dayton (Dec. 14) and Jackson State (Dec. 21).
The Boilermakers will not participate in the Cancun Challenge over Thanksgiving.