Rutgers University
Maryland
Women's Basketball Readies to Host No. 16/17 Maryland
Dec 31 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Rutgers women's basketball team (6-9, 0-3 B1G) will ring in the new year as the team welcomes No. 16/17 Maryland (11-3, 2-1 B1G) to Jersey Mike's Arena on Monday, Jan. 2.
The contest is set to begin at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The outing marks the first of three consecutive games the Scarlet Knights will appear on BTN.
Last Time Out
RU fell to Penn State (10-4, 1-2 B1G) on Friday, Dec, 30 on the road, 90-72.
Kaylene Smikle netted a team-high 18 points for her 11th double-digit scoring outing of the season. Chyna Cornwell and Kassondra Brown also reach double figures with 13 apiece while Erica Lafayette added 10.
The Scarlet Knights outrebounded the Nittany Lions, 41-29 (+12). Brown paced the team with eight boards while Cornwell also secured seven off the glass.
First Year Phenom
Freshman Kaylene Smikle paces the team with 15.7 points per game in addition to averaging 20.3 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 11 of 15 outings this campaign.
The Farmingdale, New York product has also been solid from beyond the arc. Her 26 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 four games.
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 with five double-doubles.
Strong Off the Boards
In all but one win, Rutgers has secured more rebounds than its opposition.
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in 13 of 15 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 8.8 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 offensive 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
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 Maryland
Maryland owns the edge over Rutgers in the all-time series, 29-12. The. Scarlet Knights have dropped the last five meetings, with the team's most recent win coming on Dec. 31, 2018 (73-65).
Scouting The Terrapins
Maryland will ride a four-game hot streak into Piscataway, New Jersey on Monday, as the team earned consecutive victories over Purdue (77-74), then-No. 6 UCONN (85-78), Purdue Fort Wayne (88-51) and Minnesota (107-85).
UMD's most recent loss came at the hands of Nebraska (67-90) in the beginning of December.
In addition to the Huskies, the Terrapins have defeated two other ranked programs this campaign in then-No. 17 Bayle (73-68) and then-No. 7 Notre Dame (74-72). The team fell to No. 1 South Carolina in their second game of the season (56-81).
Diamond Miller (18.5), Shyanne Sellers (14.6) and Abby Meyers (14.3) pace the team as they all average more than 10 points per game. Miller and Meyers also top the statistics when it comes to rebounding with 6.5 and 5.1 boards per game, respectively.
Next Up
Rutgers will play their second consecutive home game as it hosts Nebraska on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. The team will celebrate Theresa Grentz Day as well as Title IX and Women in Sports. The contest will also be 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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