WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The IU Indy Jaguars travel to West Lafayette to face the Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday night. The Jags and Boilermakers are set for a 7:30 PM tip at Mackey Arena and on B1G+.
 
 The Jags enter Thursday nights' game with a 1-1 mark on the season. IU Indy couldn't overcome a strong Ball State offense, dropping their second game of the season by a final score of 89-63 in Muncie, Indiana on Friday, November 8. Jada Patton made her IU Indy debut against the Cardinals, totaling 14 points.
 
Purdue enters the game with a 1-1 mark as well, defeating fellow Horizon League member Purdue Fort Wayne (87-77) then falling to #6 Notre Dame (102-58). Destini Lombard scored a career-high 20 points and freshman Lana McCarthy posted a double-double to lead the Boilermakers to the 87-77 win over Purdue Fort Wayne to open the 2024-25 season.
 
The Jaguars started the season off hot at the three-point line, totaling 13 threes in the season opener against Evansville, two more than the season high during the 2023-24 season. Six different Jags recorded a three in the win with newcomer Nevaeh Foster leading the way, shooting 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Sophomore Shania Nichols-Vannett added three three-pointers.
 
Nearly everyone who saw the floor in the win over Evansville recorded points, including three Jaguars totaling double-digits. Foster totaled a career-high 23 points to lead IU Indy, followed by Davidson with 19 and Nichols-Vannett with 17. Four Jags added nine points, with Alexa Hocevar, Faith Stinson, Kendall Wingler and Azyah Newson-Cole each totaling nine. Logan Lewis rounded out the scoring with six points, giving the Jags a total of 101 points. The last time the Jags broke the 100 point mark was in December of 2019 when IU Indy (then IUPUI) defeated IU Northwest 103-45.
 
Katie Davidson is one of the key returners for the Jags and was voted Horizon League Preseason All-League Second Team after finishing the 2023-24 season averaging 16.4 points per game. Davidson was one of three Jaguars who totaled double-digit points in the season opener over Evansville, opening the 2024-25 season with 19 points, shooting .636 percent (7-for-11) with five assists and four steals. Unfortunately, due to injury, Davidson left the Jags' game at Ball State in the first quarter, playing just eight minutes in the loss. The Indianapolis native was named All-League Second Team following the 2023-24 season.
 
Head coach Kate Bruce was named Indianapolis Business Journal Forty Under 40 in April of this year for her successful career at every level and community work in the Indianapolis area. The Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) announced their 32nd class of Forty Under 40 honorees on April 11 with an impressive collection of business, community and non-for-profit leaders representing health care, finance, law, sports, education and other sectors. Kate Bruce and the rest of the honorees were selected by a committee of IBJ leaders and former Forty Under 40 honorees from about 250 nominations. Bruce leads the IU Indy Jaguars with integrity, empathy and belief and hopes to show that within the product on the court. Although the Jaguars suffered several injuries that played a big role within the 2023-24 season, Bruce is confident in the 2024-25 season.
 
Coach Bruce's squad was picked to finish tenth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, just ahead of Robert Morris. The Jags will look to fight their way through the Horizon League in hopes of outdoing their preseason rank. They will kick off the Horizon League slate on the road at Green Bay on December 4.