Rutgers University
Penn State
Women's Basketball to Travel to Penn State on Friday
Dec 29 | Women's Basketball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Rutgers women's basketball team (6-8, 0-2 B1G) will get back to Big Ten play with a trip out to Penn State (9-4, 0-2) on Friday, Dec. 30 for a 5 p.m. contest.
The game will be streamed live on B1G+.
Last Time Out
The Scarlet Knights ended their non-conference slate with a 64-56 win over New Orleans (1-7, 0-0 SLC) on Sunday, Dec. 18.
Rutgers came out hot, using a 12-0 run to give themselves a 16-3 lead midway through the first quarter. Rutgers never conceded its lead throughout the contest, but New Orleans managed to get within one-point during the second half.
The team then used a full-team effort to withstand any New Orleans' threat. The Scarlet Knights continued to share the basketball well, earning 14 team assists. The team also pushed the pace of the game, scoring 25 points off fast breaks. The Privateers' had just seven fast break points.
Kaylene Smikle led all scorers for the Scarlet Knights in her first collegiate start, scoring 19, as she continues to play a significant role in the offensive attack. The freshman also added a career-high five assists after having just one in the last three games.
Chyna Cornwell earned her fifth double-double of the season, contributing 15 points and 13 assists. She had recorded three double-doubles in her last four games, and currently leads the Big Ten in the category.
The @B1Gwbball season leader in double-doubles: @Working_Gal_! 🫶 pic.twitter.com/79Oqw0T1A0
— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) December 18, 2022
Coaching Connection
Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington will return to Penn State after serving as the head coach of the Nittany Lions from 2012-14. This will be her first time back in State College, Pennsylvania as an opposing Big Ten head coach.
During her 12 seasons at the helm of the Lady Lions, the team 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.
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 five 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
- vs. New Orleans – 15 points, rebounds
Cornwell is currently tied for second in the Big Ten in the statistic.
First Year Phenom
Freshman Kaylene Smikle paces the team with 15.5 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 10 of 14 outings this campaign.
The Farmingdale, New York product has also been solid from beyond the arc. Her 24 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 the last three games.
Smikle Tabbed Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week
Smikle was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday, Dec. 19. The award was the first of her collegiate career and the first Freshman of the Week honor for RU since Diamond Johnson earned the award on Dec. 21, 2020.
𝗕𝟭𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦.
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 19, 2022
Kaylene Smikle earns her first @B1Gwbball Co-Freshman of the Week honor 👏
📰: https://t.co/VcRCM5QJCf#GoRU | #RUWBB | #B1GWBBall pic.twitter.com/euYc3fNTHX
Smikle led the Scarlet Knights in scoring during both games this week with a career-high 26 points against Princeton (Dec. 15) and 19 points versus New Orleans (Dec. 18).
Between the two contests she averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 boards, 2.5 assists, two steals and one block. The freshman set a new career best with five assists against the Privateers and tied her career-high of eight rebounds against the Tigers.
Strong Off the Boards
In all but one win, Rutgers has secured more rebounds than its opposition.
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in 12 of 14 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 8.9 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 3.9 boards per game.
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. 12/10 Iowa*
- No. 14/19 Michigan*
- No. 16/17 Maryland*
- No. RV/RV Texas#
- RV/RV Nebraska*
- NR/RV South Dakota State#
*Big Ten contest
# Battle4Atlantis
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 Penn State
Rutgers owns the 32-19 edge overall Penn State in the all-time series. The Scarlet Knights have won the most recent two meetings, including last season's meeting in the Big Ten Tournament, 75-50.
Scouting The Nittany Lions
After starting off the season on a 7-0 winning streak, Penn State dropped three of its next five games. The team fell to Minnesota (96-98 2OT) and then-No. 4/3 Indiana (58-67) in Big Ten play before also getting downed by Drexel (82-86 OT).
The Nittany Lions did pick up wins in the month of December against West Virginia (69-57) and most recently Cornell (79-48).
Makenna Marisa (17.6), Leilani Kapinus (11.4) and Shay Ciezki (10.5) are all currently averaging double-digit scoring. Kapinus also paces the team off the boards with 6.0 points per game.
Next Up
Rutgers will play its first game of 2023 against Maryland at Jersey Mike's Arena on Monday, Jan. 2. The contest will begin at 2 p.m. and broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
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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