Rutgers Women’s Basketball Heads to Purdue for Saturday Big Ten Clash
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As the mid-February chill settles over the Midwest, the intensity inside the Big Ten is only heating up. On Saturday, Feb. 14, Rutgers women’s basketball travels to West Lafayette for a key conference showdown against Purdue. The Scarlet Knights enter at 9-15 overall and 1-12 in Big Ten play, while the Boilermakers sit at 11-13 and 3-10 in the league.
Rutgers Women’s Basketball Showing Competitive Growth
The tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET at Mackey Arena. The contest will stream live on B1G+, with radio coverage available on FOX Sports New Jersey. The entire 2025–26 Rutgers women’s basketball season is presented by Prudential.
Rutgers will set out for a Big Ten road trip starting at Purdue on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 12 PM
— Rutgers Women’s Basketball (@RutgersWBB) February 12, 2026
📰: https://t.co/ZVrv6z5lK4#GoRU | #RUWBB | #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/MAXVR2J9MU
Rutgers is coming off a hard-fought 63-52 loss to RV/RV Minnesota at Jersey Mike's Arena. However, the game was far tighter than the final score suggests. The Scarlet Knights battled throughout the afternoon in a contest that featured seven lead changes and five ties. Through three quarters, it was anyone’s game.
It was a breakout afternoon for Nene Ndiaye, who tied her career high with 26 points. She also set new personal bests with 10 made field goals and five three-pointers. She delivered one of the most explosive individual performances of the season. Zachara Perkins added a season-best 18 points. She further signaled that Rutgers is developing additional offensive rhythm as February unfolds.
Faith Blackstone eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her Division I career against Lafayette on Dec. 20. She became the 45th Scarlet Knight to join the 1,000-point club and currently sits at 1,117 career points.
Kaylah Ivey recorded her 500th career assist at Michigan State on Dec. 28. She now owns 542 assists, ranking 14th nationally among active players. Head coach Coquese Washington secured her 250th career victory on Dec. 20.
Rutgers’ record reflects the reality of navigating one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Scarlet Knights have faced eight opponents ranked in the Top 25 between the AP and WBCA USA Today polls, along with three additional programs receiving votes.
Those ranked opponents include UCLA, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Maryland, Princeton, and Washington. Additional vote-getters include Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska.
Nearly every Big Ten contest has come against tournament-caliber competition.
Senior Associate Head Coach Shannon LeBeauf joined the program after 14 seasons at UCLA. That's where she helped guide the Bruins to 321 wins and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. That run included an Elite Eight in 2018 and a Final Four appearance during the historic 2024–25 campaign. She also helped secure 14 Top-25 recruiting classes, including two No. 1-ranked classes.
Assistant coach Sean LeBeauf arrived after four seasons at UC Riverside. She helped the Highlanders to 55 wins and a Big West Tournament Championship appearance in 2024. Danielle Edwards joined from SMU, where she helped the Mustangs to 50-plus wins and consecutive WNIT appearances.
James Spinelli spent two seasons at Northeastern and previously five years at Notre Dame, bringing an analytics-driven approach to the staff. Jeanine Wasielewski enters her third season on staff and assumes the role of offensive coordinator.
Putting An Eye on the Returning Core and Impact Transfers
Rutgers returns five players in Antonia Bates, Deja Young, Zachara Perkins, Kennedy Brandt, and Janae Walker. The staff also welcomed six transfers who bring experience from across the country.
Lauryn Swann arrives from Arizona as a 2025 Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection who made 50 three-pointers and recorded 12 double-digit scoring outings.
Kaylah Ivey comes from Boston College after leading the ACC with a 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio and posting 160 assists to just 49 turnovers last season. Nene Ndiaye also transfers from Boston College, where she appeared in 30 games with 10 starts and represented the Senegal U18 National Team.
Faith Blackstone joins from Stephen F. Austin as a First-Team All-Conference selection who averaged 14.8 points and helped SFA win the Southland Tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament. Imani Lester arrives from Kansas State after helping the Wildcats to a 28-8 record and Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Yacine Ndiaye transfers from UNCG after helping lead the Spartans to a SoCon Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Freshmen Precious Gem Wheeler and Makylah Moore round out the roster. Purdue enters Saturday’s matchup having dropped four straight games, including a 74-59 loss to Indiana in its most recent outing.
Tara Daye leads the Boilermakers with 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Like Rutgers, Purdue is searching for a late-season push to reshape its Big Ten positioning. Following Saturday’s contest at Mackey Arena, Rutgers continues its road swing at Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. ET. That game will air on the Big Ten Network.
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Shayni Maitra is a sports girl through and through writing about everything from locker room drama to game-day legends in the NFL and NBA. She’s covered the action for outlets like College Sports Network, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, NB Media, and PinkVilla, blending sharp takes with a deep love for storytelling. Whether it’s college football rivalries, Olympic gold-chasers, or the off-field chaos that keeps Twitter alive, Shayni brings the heat with heart—and just the right amount of humor.