The Southern Steel defender took a ''nasty knock'' and was left nursing a bloody nose the most recent time she defended the 1.93m West Coast Fever goal shoot, in 2012.
Purvis (21) will again be up against Bassett when the Steel plays the unbeaten Fever in Perth early on Sunday morning (New Zealand time), and is excited about defending her and goal attack Natalie Medhurst.
''I think [they] are definitely the benchmark in the competition in that shooting circle,'' Purvis said.
Bassett trails only Steel shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid for most goals through the first two weeks of the competition - 95 from 108 attempts (88%) - while Medhurst has landed 29 from 33 (87.9%) in wins over the Queensland Firebirds and Northern Mystics.
Purvis and fellow defender Phoenix Karaka have made an impressive start to the new season, combining for 10 interceptions and 22 pass deflections.
Their battle against Bassett and Medhurst this weekend is sure to be a good one, as the young Steel duo seek to reach the same form that helped the franchise win its last four games a season ago.
Purvis, who was born in Christchurch but moved to Auckland for secondary school, said she and Karaka were always working on building their connection.
''I think at the end of last season we got there and we had five or six really good games in a row,'' she said.
''But to be able to say that we could do that this early on in the season this year would be really exciting.''
While Purvis is now in her fourth season with the Steel, Karaka did not join the team until 2013.
The pair have not played an awful lot of games together for the Steel, but their playing days go back to more than six years ago in Auckland.
''We played together in Auckland under-15s way back and then all throughout Auckland age-groups,'' Purvis said.
''Then I moved down here and we had a couple of years off, then she followed me, I like to say.''
Purvis, Karaka and Jane Watson are the only three specialist defenders on a youthful Steel roster this year, an indication the franchise has faith in the trio, Purvis said.
''It's definitely really exciting,'' she said.
''So we really want to repay them by playing well and putting 100% into everything.
At 21 years old, Purvis has earned 32 caps for the Steel, the third-most behind captain Wendy Frew (79) and vice-captain Shannon Francois (39).
With veterans from last year such as Rachel Rasmussen, Jodi Brown and Phillipa Finch gone, Purvis is taking on more responsibility.
''Just being that year older - and with just three defenders being signed - I kind of had to step up and take on a bit of a leadership role,'' Purvis said.
''We all are not afraid to speak up. We aren't afraid to tell each other how it is. I think we have a really open and honest environment, which is really important.
''I'm not saying we haven't had that in the past. But personally, I've definitely felt more confident about speaking up now.''
Purvis, who is studying marketing at Otago Polytechnic, lives in St Kilda with team-mates Gina Crampton and Te Paea Selby-Rickit.
In addition to studying and playing netball, the 1.86m defender has been ''doing a bit of work'' at New Zealand Media Entertainment, and is a netball correspondent for the Newstalk ZB radio station on Saturday mornings.
Purvis ''definitely'' has aspirations to play for the Silver Ferns in the future, but right now is solely focused on having a good season for the Steel, she said.
''There are a lot of young defenders in New Zealand at the moment, so the competition is pretty fierce,'' she said.
''Hopefully, if I play well enough, things could go from there.''
The Steel leaves for Perth today.
