How to Watch No. 20 Nebraska Women's Basketball vs. Purdue with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

The Nebraska women's basketball team didn't ring in the New Year on a positive note, dropping its second-straight defeat since starting the season 12-0.

In a game that saw 10 lead changes with constant back-and-forth action, the Huskers lost 86-76 to rival No. 14 Iowa in a Gold Out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Star point guard Britt Prince splahed her way to a game-high 27 points with Jessica Petrie (17) and Eliza Maupin (12) joining her in double figures. Both teams shot at 50% in a game full of offense, but a 10-point Hawkeye run late in the fourth quarter acted as the dagger.

Now, the Huskers return home to face Purdue in what they hope is a game to get back on the right track. Here's all you need to know.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 20 Nebraska (12-2, 1-2 B1G) vs. Purdue (8-6, 0-3 B1G)
When: Sunday, January 4
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 2 p.m. CDT
Watch: Nebraska Public Media
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Purdue Scout

Head Coach

Katie Gearlds | 5th season at Purdue; 13th as HC.
69-70 (.496) at Purdue; 296-119 (.713) Career Record.
2x NAIA National Championships, 1x DI NCAA Tournament App.
1x B1G Title (2024).
Previous head coach at Marian (Ind.).

2024-2025 Record & Awards

10-19 (3-15 B1G, T-15th).
No all-conference awards.

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 12-10.
Jan. 30, 2025, last matchup, 74-68 NU.

Purdue forward Lana McCarthy (35) is the lone returning starter from last season's Boilermakers squad that went 10-19. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Key Returners

Kendall Puryear | F | Soph. | Has played the role of a key reserve in her first two collegiate seasons, averaging seven points per game in 2025-2026.
Lana McCarthy | F | Soph. | Returning starter that stands at 6-foot-4 and averaging 7.6 PPG and nearly five rebounds as a second-year player.
Madison Jayden-Zay | G | Gr. | Former transfer from Northwestern that's returned to the team after sitting out the 2024-2025 season; collected 10.1 points per game and a team-leading 31 made three-pointers.

Key Departures

Destini Lombard | G | Graduated | Purdue's leading scorer from last season at only 9.9 points per game and a team-high 55 steals in her final college basketball season.
Rashunda Jones | G | Transfer | Spent her sophomore year in West Lafayette with 9.8 PPG and a team-leading 107 assists before transferring to Michigan State for her junior season.
Sophie Swanson | G | Transfer | Averaged just over eight points per. game in 55 career games in two seasons at Purdue — now at Virginia Tech.
Reagan Bass | F | Graduated | Veteran forward who added 7.9 points and a team-high 5.1 rebounds in starting 22 of her 29 appearances.
Ella Collier | G | Graduated | Fifth-year guard that chipped in six points a game as a starter in her final college season.

Destini Lombard (4) led Purdue with 9.9 points per game last year in her final collegiate season. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Tara Daye | G | R-Jr. | Impact transfer from St. John's that has become the Boilermaker's star with 12 points and just under seven rebounds per contest in her first 14 games at Purdue.
Kiki Smith | G | Jr. | Former NJCAA Basketball Player of the Year who scored 10 points per game last year at Arkansas and transferred to Purdue, where she's adding 11.2 PPG and 22 three-pointers.
Hila Karsh | G | Fr. | Israeli true freshman averaging 9.9 points per game in starting all 14 of her first collegiate contests.
Nya Smith | G | Soph. | Named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year last season at UNC Greensboro; adds 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds off the bench as a key reserve.
Saige Stahl | F | Jr. | Two-year reserve at Indiana State and continues that role in West Lafayette, with just short of four rebounds per game.

Outlook

Despite winning two NAIA national titles at Marian in Indiana, head coach Katie Gearlds has seen her tenure at Purdue slowly get worse entering her fifth season. The Boilermakers have regressed in win count over the past three seasons, bottoming out at 10-19 in 2024-2025, including a 3-15 mark in Big Ten play.

The Boilermakers did not have a double-digit scorer last season, and only one starter returned to campus in 6-foot-4 forward Lana McCarthy, who's hovering at her seven-point, five-rebound average from last year. Fellow sophomore Kendall Puryear represents the only other impact returner, also scoring seven points, but does so off the bench.

While technically a returner, fifth-year guard Madison Jayden-Zay rejoins the Boilermakers after sitting out last season. She has slotted into the starting lineup with ease, becoming one of three double-figure scorers at 10.1 PPG.

St. John's transfer Tara Daye (44) has erupted in her first Big Ten season, leading Purdue with 12 points and nearly seven rebounds per game. | Chad Krockover / Special to the Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gearlds added her two leading scorers this year through the transfer portal, with Tara Daye being the biggest hit. She had no track record of proven production, averaging six points or less in three combined seasons at St. John's (two) and DePaul (one), but something has clicked in West Lafayette. She's leading the team in both points (12.1) and rebounds (6.9). Kiki Smith had the opposite résumé, being named the 2024 NJCAA Player of the Year and scoring 10 points per game at Arkansas for one season. She's improved to score 11.2 points per contest in her first season at Purdue. Freshman guard Hila Karsh averages 9.9 PPG as a true freshman, while transfer Naya Smith (UNC Greensboro) and Saige Stahl (Indiana State) have each added experience to the Boilermakers' bench.

The product was really bad under Gearlds' last season, barely reaching double-digit wins with three Big Ten victories marking a tie for 15th in the conference. The talent is better this season, but non-conference losses to Central Michigan and in-state foe Purdue Fort Wayne point to the progress still needed. The start to Big Ten play hasn't been kind either, getting blown out by No. 6 Michigan and No. 19 Ohio State, as well as a 10-point defeat to Illinois. Put me down for a big Nebraska victory to snap the two-game skid.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.