Rutgers University
New Orleans
Women's Basketball to End Nonconference Slate Against New Orleans
Dec 16 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Rutgers women's basketball team (5-8, 0-2 B1G) will end nonconference play against New Orleans (1-6, 0-0 SLC) on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Last Time Out
The Scarlet Knights fell to Princeton (7-3, 0-0 Ivy), 56-77, on Thursday night at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Kaylene Smikle set a new career high netting 26 points, her third 20+ point performance in the last four games. The freshman guard also recorded eight boards and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
That's a career-high 2⃣6⃣ points for freshman Kaylene Smikle ‼️
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 16, 2022
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Kassondra Brown secured a season-high 12 rebounds, while also adding nine points. Awa Sidibe was the other Scarlet Knight to score in double figure scoring, contributing 12 points.
RU controlled the game's first half, taking a 32-22 lead into halftime, but the Tigers found their way back into the game in the third quarter. The team used a 17-0 run to propel themselves into the lead, which they would carry into the fourth quarter.
Doubling Up
Chyna Cornwell has burst onto the floor this season for the Scarlet Knights as a huge presence in the post.
She leads the team with four double-doubles including back-to-back outings against Illinois (Dec. 7) and Hampton (Dec. 10):
- vs. Seton Hall – 10 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Cornell – 11 points, 16 rebounds
- at Illinois – 10 points, 11 rebounds
- vs. Hampton – 18 points, 14 rebounds
Cornwell is currently tied with three other players to lead the Big Ten in the statistic.
First Year Phenom
Just 13 contests into the season, freshman Kaylene Smikle has made a big impact for the Scarlet Knights.
Smikle paces the team with 15.2 points per game in addition to averaging 21.5 points in Big Ten play. She is the only Scarlet Knight to net 20+ points in a game, accomplishing the feat off the bench five times. She scored 22 against South Dakota State (Nov. 20), 23 against Cornell (Nov. 27), 21 against Ohio State (Dec. 4) 22 at Illinois (Dec. 7) and a career-high 26 versus Princeton (Dec. 15). The freshman has reached double-digit scoring in nine of 13 outings this campaign.
The Farmingdale, New York product has also been solid from beyond the arc. Her 22 three-pointers lead the Scarlet Knights while her five three's against South Dakota State rank as the highest performance in a single game this season for RU. She has hit at least one three-pointer in every contest this slate and cashed in on two or more in four games.
Strong Off the Boards
In all five wins for Rutgers this season, Rutgers has secured more rebounds than its opposition.
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in 11 of 13 outings, including a season-high 53 against Cornell (Nov. 27). The team also earned its highest rebounding margin against the Big Red, +23.
Chyna Cornwell leads the Scarlet Knights off the boards, with 8.6 rebounds per game to rank third in the Big Ten. Her 16 rebounds against Cornell also measures up as the second-best single game performance this season.
Cornwell also paces the league with 112 total boards.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
RU will meet eight teams mentioned between the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls, including six Big Ten and two nonconference opponents:
- No. 3/4 Ohio State*
- No. 4/3 Indiana*
- No. 12/13 Iowa*
- No. 15/21 Maryland*
- No. RV/RV Texas#
- No. 19/16 Michigan*
- RV/RV Nebraska*
- NR/RV South Dakota State
*Big Ten contest
# Battle4Atlantis
Staying Home
The Scarlet Knights will compete in 12 nonconference games this season before jumping into Big Ten play.
Of the 12 games, RU will play eight at their home court of Jersey Mike's Arena, including the first four. The only time the team will leave "On The Banks" will be for three games at the Battle4Atlantis Tournament, held in Paradise Island, Bahamas and to face Boston College for the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Washington Returns to the Big Ten
The Washington era at Rutgers signals the head coach's return to the Big Ten, after serving as the head coach at Penn State for 12 seasons. From 2012-14, the Lady Lions claimed three consecutive Big Ten regular-season titles, becoming one of four programs in conference history to win three or more regular-season crowns in a row. She guided Penn State to two Sweet 16 appearances in 2012 and 2014 while developing 17 players to All-Big Ten status on 32 separate occasions.
Washington earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors three times (2012-14), WBCA Regional Coach of the Year twice (2012, 2013), and was named a finalist for WBCA National Coach of the Year two times (2012, 2013). She was also selected as the 2011 and 2014 Black Coaches Association (BCA) Female Coach of the Year.
Successful Staff
Washington won't be the only new face on the sidelines this season as she named Tasha Pointer, Nikki McCray-Penson and John Hampton assistant coaches during the offseason.
Pointer returns "On The Banks," bringing 18 total years of coaching experience, including eight seasons on the sidelines with the Scarlet Knights from 2007-15. As a player from 1997-2001, Pointer led Rutgers to the 2000 Final Four, the hallmark of a 128-game career that produced program-record totals of 839 assists and 292 steals while scoring 1,456 points. Pointer was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, which was also her first year on the coaching staff that guided the Scarlet Knights to an NCAA Elite Eight, a Sweet 16, and a WNIT Championship during seven overall trips to the postseason.
McCray-Penson comes to Piscataway, New Jersey with 15 years of college coaching experience, most recently as a head coach at Mississippi State and Old Dominion, which followed a standout college playing career at Tennessee, nine seasons in the WNBA and two gold-medal winning performances with Team USA at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.
Hampton, the former head coach at Clarkson University, has spent the last seven seasons at St. Joseph's, including the last three as the Hawks' assistant head coach. At St. Joe's, Hampton helped lead the Hawks to the postseason twice, an Atlantic 10 Tournament title game, a Hawk Classic crown, and a WNIT victory. Hampton graduated from Mansfield University in 2008, where he joined the men's basketball program as a walk-on and went on to earn the team's MVP twice in 2007 and 2008. He was selected as a PSAC All-Conference honoree as a senior.
Scarlet Knights on the Big Screen
The Scarlet Knights are set for eight appearances between the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1.
- vs. Ohio State – Dec. 4 – 12 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. New Orleans – Dec. 18 – 2 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Maryland – Jan. 2 – 2 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Nebraska – Jan. 7 – 2 p.m. (BTN)
- at Minnesota – Jan. 12 – 8:30 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Michigan – Jan. 19 – 8:30 p.m. (BTN)
- at Iowa – Feb. 12 – 3 p.m. (FS1)
- at Wisconsin – Feb. 20 – 8 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Illinois – Feb. 26 – 2 p.m. *Could be flexed to B1G+
The entire Big Ten Tournament run will also be broadcast nationally.
The remaining 11 home games on the schedule not set to air on TV will be streamed on Big Ten+.
History Against New Orleans
Sunday's game will be the first meeting between New Orleans and Rutgers.
Scouting The Privateers
With a 1-6 overall record this season, New Orleans has dropped all but their second game of the season against South Alabama, when the team came out with the 71-63 win.
The Privateers have fallen in their last six outings, including an overtime loss to Mississippi Valley State in their most recent contest, 63-67.
DeArica Pryor paces the team with 15.7 points per game while Nora Francois leads with the team averaging 7.0 rebounds.
Next Up
After some time off for the holidays, Rutgers will jump right back into Big Ten play with a trip out to Penn State on Friday, Dec. 30 at 5 p.m.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RutgersWBB) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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