Rutgers University
Nebraska
Women's Basketball to Celebrate Theresa Grentz Day Against Nebraska
Jan 05 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Rutgers women's basketball team (6-10, 0-4 B1G) will welcome Nebraska to Jersey Mike's Arena on Saturday, Jan. 7 for a 2 p.m. contest presented by Horizon NJ Health.
The game will be the team's second of three consecutive broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The Cornhuskers are currently receiving votes only in the AP poll.
On the Call
- Watch on the Big Ten Network (Play-By-Play: Mike Hall; Analyst: Christy Winters Scott)
- Listen on Fox Sports New Jersey 1450 AM / 93.5 FM (Play-By-Play: Ralph Bednarczyk; Analyst: Mark Peterson)
- Listen on WRSU 88.7 FM
Last Time Out
The Scarlet Knights fell in a battle with No. 16/17 Maryland (12-3, 3-1 B1G) on Monday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena, 78-67.
Kaylene Smikle led all scorers with 29 points, setting a new career-high. She has reached double figures in 12 games this season and is averaging 23.0 points over the last four games for the Scarlet Knights. The freshman also added nine rebounds, another career-high.
Career high on career high on career high.
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) January 3, 2023
Kaylene Smikle is the real deal 👀☝️#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/bDaE6902k6
Kassondra Brown was the other double-digit scorer for Rutgers, collecting 12 points on 71.4 percent shooting to celebrate her 22nd birthday. She also added seven rebounds.
Chyna Cornwell had another strong performance on the glass with 13 rebounds, her third highest total this season. Awa Sidibe tied her career-high with six assists in the contest. She continues to share the ball well, averaging 5.8 assists over the last four games.
Rutgers had a strong presence down low, out rebounding Maryland 39-33 (+6). The Scarlet Knights also earned one more block (4-3) and scored six more points in the paint than the Terrapins (36-30).
Theresa Grentz Day/Title IX
Rutgers women's basketball team will honor and celebrate the legacy of its first coach, Theresa Grentz on Saturday, Jan. 7 against Nebraska at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Single game tickets can be purchased here.
𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕒 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕫 𝔻𝕒𝕪 🏆
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 14, 2022
Rutgers will honor the legacy of its first coach, Theresa Grentz, and 50 years of women's sports at Rutgers University on Jan. 7 against Nebraska ‼️
📰: https://t.co/r8oQCxTtIV
🎟️: https://t.co/LDFSSR54ri#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/K8wLW6AkGf
The Scarlet Knights will honor the impact Grentz made on the program as the only coach to win a national championship in Rutgers' history, in addition to the anniversary of Title IX and 50 years of women's sports at Rutgers University. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive Title IX tumblers.
The team will celebrate Theresa Grentz Day and her enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022, showing off her commemorative banner in the rafters of Jersey Mike's Arena with letterwinners and fans in attendance for pregame and halftime ceremonies.
Grentz, who coached the Scarlet Knights as their first full-time head coach from 1976-95, amassed a 434-150 (.584) record during her 19 seasons "On The Banks". She led the team to six Atlantic-10 Conference regular-season and four tournament titles in addition to the 1982 AIAW Tournament National Championship. Grentz guided RU to nine consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament (1986-94) as 14 of her 19 teams won 20 or more games.
First Year Phenom
Freshman Kaylene Smikle continues to impress as she paces the team with 16.5 points per game in addition to averaging 22.5 points in Big Ten play. Her 16.5 points per game currently ranks as the second best average among freshmen in the Big Ten and the fourth highest in the nation.
She is the only Scarlet Knight to net 20+ points in a game, accomplishing the feat six times, including five times off the bench:
- 22 points vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 20)
- 23 points vs. Cornell (Nov. 27)
- 21 points vs. Ohio State (Dec. 4)
- 22 points at Illinois (Dec. 7)
- 26 points vs. Princeton (Dec. 15)
- 29 points vs. Maryland (Jan. 2)
The freshman has reached double-digit scoring in 12 of 16 outings this campaign, including the last eight of the last 10 contests.
The Farmingdale, New York product has also been solid from beyond the arc. Her 30 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 in every contest this slate and cashed in on two or more in the last five 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, tied for second in the big Ten, 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
Strong Off the Boards
In all but one win, Rutgers has secured more rebounds than the opposition. This season, RU has outrebounded its opponents 616 to 574 (+42).
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in 14 of 16 outings and 40+ boards in seven games. The Scarlet Knights grabbed a season-high 53 off the glass against Cornell (Nov. 27) for its highest rebounding margin (+23).
Chyna Cornwell leads the Scarlet Knights off the boards, with 9.1 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 3.7 offensive boards per game.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
RU will meet seven teams mentioned between the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls, including five Big Ten and one nonconference opponents:
- No. 3/3 Ohio State*
- No. 6/7 Indiana*
- No. 16/12 Iowa*
- No. 14/19 Michigan*
- No. 13/14 Maryland*
- No. RV/RV Texas#
- RV/NR Nebraska*
*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 Nebraska
Rutgers owns the one-game advantage over Nebraska in the all-time series, 6-5. The two teams have played at least once every season dating back to 2015 and have traded the most recent four decisions. The Scarlet Knights fell in the last meeting on Feb. 1, 2022. 38-50, on the road.
Scouting The Cornhuskers
Following a five-game winning streak with two wins over top-20 teams (then-No. 20 Maryland and then No. 20 Kansas), Nebraska has dropped its two most recent contests. The team fell to then-No. 14 Michigan (59-76) and then-No. 4 Indiana in overtime (62-74) for their first two losses in conference play.
The Cornhuskers are 2-4 over top-25 teams so far this campaign and are 1-4 when playing on the road.
Jaz Shelley (15.2), Alexis Markowski (12.8), Isabelle Bourne (11.6) and Allison Weidner (10.2) all pace Nebraska, averaging double-digit points per game. Markowski also leads the team off the boards with 9.4 rebounds per contest.
Next Up
Rutgers will travel to Minnesota to take on the Gophers on Jan. 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The contest will 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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