Rutgers University
Saint Francis
Women's Basketball Hosts Saint Francis Saturday Afternoon
Nov 17 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team (2-2, 0-0 B1G) will return to Jersey Mike's Arena to host Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. The contest will be streamed on B1G+ and you can also listen live on WRSU. The Scarlet Knights will also host postgame free throws.
The contest will be the first game of a doubleheader with men's basketball, as they face Howard at 6 p.m.
Food Drive
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Rutgers Athletics are hosting four food drives to benefit REPLENISH at Middlesex County Food Bank.
The requested items that fans can donate are canned tuna, canned chicken, bags of rice, dry beans, diapers, and baby wipes. More information can be found here.
The first chance for Rutgers fans to donate will be at RU's wrestling match on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena. Fans will be able to drop off their items in front of the arena. Fans who participate in the food drive will receive tickets to the home match on Friday, Dec. 8th against Princeton at 6 p.m.
RU Nation can also donate to the cause at the men's and women's basketball doubleheader at Jersey Mike's Arena on Nov. 18. The women take on Saint Francis at noon and the men take on Howard at 6:00 p.m. Fans who participate for the men's and women's game will receive tickets to the women's Virginia Tech game on Sunday, Dec. 17.
The last chance to donate will be at SHI Stadium when Rutgers football takes on Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 25. at 3:30 p.m. Fans can donate at the top of the Rutgers Boardwalk by the Rutgers equipment truck.
About REPLENISH
REPLENISH is a community organization working to achieve food security and provide access to nutritionally adequate food and other basic necessities to all residents in Middlesex County. Local nonprofit agencies, businesses, and organizations work together through REPLENISH to help achieve this mission. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights For Life™ program and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) continue to support our food insecure community members through a partnership with organizations like REPLENISH and by collecting donated food items before various home games this holiday season. Help feed our neighbors by bringing non-perishable food items to the [Nov. 17 Wrestling match, Nov. 18 Basketball Double Header, or the final Rutgers home football game on Saturday. Nov. 25] Look for the REPLENISH station [in front of Jersey Mikes Arena or on the Boardwalk] where student-athletes will be ready to accept your donations!
Last Time Out
Rutgers dropped an 82-63 decision at Seton Hall (3-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) on Wednesday night.
Destiny Adams recorded a career-best 27 points in the outing while Kaylene Smikle followed with 13. Both recorded a team-high eight rebounds, helping the Scarlet Knights to win the battle off the boards, 34-33.
It's Destiny
Destiny Adams continues to make her presence known on the court for the Scarlet Knights, showing off a powerful and versatile style of play.
With back-to-back doubles-doubles in her first two games, the Manchester, New Jersey native ranks seventh in the national and first in the Big Ten in the statistics.
Adams also accumulated 45 rebounds through four games to rank first in the conference.
Adding to her game on defense, Adams sits second in the league with 11 steals.
Strong Off the Boards
The Scarlet Knights are picking up where they left off last season with a strong presence on the boards.
In the second game of the season against Wagner, RU beat their previous high off the glass from last season, grabbing 55 boards. The squad has outrebounded its opponent in each of its four games this slate.
Rutgers has had at least two players reach 10+ rebounds in two of four contests so far in the 2023-24 campaign. With 45.5 rebounds per outing, RU currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
Copper Comes Home
Rutgers has officially announced the addition of three-time WNBA All-Star and Scarlet Knights alum, Kahleah Copper, to round out its 2023-24 coaching staff. Copper played for Rutgers from 2012 to 2016, was picked No. 7 overall in the 2016 WNBA draft and has since gone on to be a WNBA Champion, WNBA Finals MVP and one of the league's most dynamic players.
Copper will serve as the Director of Athletic Culture & Professional Development with a focus on helping student-athletes continue to grow and develop for careers on the next level. Copper will aid in recruiting efforts, alumni events, fundraising as well as community outreach opportunities. An eight-year veteran of the WNBA, Copper will also assist with on-court workouts and share her professional basketball experience.
50 Seasons
Rutgers will celebrate 50 seasons of women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 21 against Michigan at 2 p.m. The team will welcome back both Letterwinners and fans "On The Banks" during the weekend for various events, activities and giveaways celebrating 50 years of Rutgers women's basketball.
Since their first season in 1974, the Scarlet Knights have proven they are a nationally elite program with a tradition of success. The program has appeared in 26 NCAA Tournaments in addition to four Sweet Sixteens, five Elite Eights, two Final Fours and one National Championship game.
Rutgers has also produced over 35 1,000-point scorers, four First Team All-Americans and 56 All-Conference Team Selections. Scarlet Knights have gone onto find success at the professional level as well, with 24 alumni who have competed in the WNBA, six WNBA Champions, four Olympians and 11 Team USA Basketball members.
RU has had two Naismith Hall of Fame coaches in Theresa Grentz and C. Vivian Stringer who both led the program to new heights during their time in Piscataway, setting a strong foundation and culture for generations to follow. Current head coach Coquese Washington has continued to build upon their tradition and bring Rutgers into a new era.
Rutgers just launched its 50 seasons website, where you can scroll through photo and video galleries, check out a timeline of the program's history, view archives statistics and Alumni Spotlights. Fans can also submit their favorite Scarlet Knights memory from through the years. You can access all this information and more here.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
Rutgers is currently slated to face six opponents currently ranked in the AP/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls.
- No. 2/2 Iowa*
- No. 9/9 Virginia Tech
- No. 13/10 Ohio State*
- No. 19/17 Indiana*
- No. 20/19 Maryland*
*Big Ten contest
Princeton is receiving votes in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll.
Home Sweet Home
RU will compete in 13 nonconference games this season before jumping into Big Ten play on Saturday, Dec. 9 against Indiana. Of the 13 games, Rutgers will play nine at their home court of Jersey Mike's Arena.
The only time the team will leave the Banks will be to travel to in-state rivals Seton Hall (Nov. 15) and Princeton (Dec. 13) in addition to the South Point Classis to face Texas Tech (Nov. 24) and Boise State (Nov. 25) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Successful Staff
Along with Washington, assistant coaches Tasha Pointer and John Hampton will also be returning to the sidelines this season for the Scarlet Knights. There will also be some new faces as well, with the additions of Nneka Enemkpali and Jeanine Wasielewski to the staff.
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.
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.
Enemkpali comes to Piscataway after two seasons at Southern California where she also served as the Recruiting Coordinator. While with the Trojans, Enemkpali led efforts to sign the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 class. She also helped USC make strides on the court as she coached the 29th overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, Kadi Sissoko, to all All-Pac 12 honors. In addition, Enemkpali guided Rayah Marshall to All-PAC 12 and All-Defense honors as a sophomore. She went on to be selected to represent USA at the 2023 Americup games. Enemkpali is a 2015 graduate of Texas, where she earned three All-Big 12 selections and finished ranked No. 10 all-time in career rebounds (899) and No. 30 in career points (1,116).
Prior to joining the Scarlet Knights, Wasielewski was most recently the head coach at Southwestern Michigan College. She led the revival of the women's basketball program there, after a 25-year hiatus. In the program's first season back to competition in 2022-23, she recruited and coached a team of all freshmen to an 18-9 overall record, a 13-1 record on their home court and a third-place finish in conference that earned the squad a postseason tournament bid. She also spent time at Saint Francis (PA), Penn State under Washington, Loyola Chicago and MSU Denver. During her own collegiate player career, Wasielewski was a four-year letter winner at Northwestern University. She was a key contributor on the 1990 Big Ten Championship team, participated and advanced in two NCAA Tournaments and posted back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Returning to The Banks
The Scarlet Knights return six big contributors from last season including, Kaylene Smikle, Antonia Bates, Awa Sidibe, Erica Lafayette, Kassondra Brown and Chyna Cornwell.
The group combined for 1,684 points and Smikle, Cornwell, Sidibe and Brown were the top four scorers during the 2022-23 campaign. The same group were the top-four rebounders last season as well, combing for 747 boards.
Transferring In
Rutgers welcomed two transfers in the offseason in junior Destiny Adams from UNC and sophomore Mya Petticord from Texas A&M.
Last season at UNC, Adams played in all 33 games and made four starts, while averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game. She ranked 16th in the ACC in steals (1.5 per game) and 23rd in blocks (0.8 per game), both second on the team. A graduate of Manchester Township High School, Adams was the 2020-21 Gatorade New Jersey Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She was also named to the Jordan Brand Classic 2021 Girls National Team and the 2021 McDonald's All-American Girls Team. In addition, Adams was ranked 20th in the ESPNW Class of 2021. rankings
For the Aggies last season, Petticord appeared in 21 games season and made one start. She averaged just over 15 minutes of playing time per outing. Petticord was a four-star recruit and No. 81-ranked prospect according to ESPNW in the 2022 class. She led her team to the 2022 Division III State Title and was named the Michigan Associated Press Division III Player of the Year.
Featuring Freshman
RU also brought in three freshmen to join the team this upcoming campaign, with the addition of Jillian Huerter, Lisa Thompson and Kennedy Brandt.
Prior to the 2021-22 season, Huerter went to Shenendehowa High School where she helped guide her team back-to-back two Section 2 Championships (2019 & 2020) as well as a Suburban Council Championship in 2021. While at Shenendehowa, she also averaged 15.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists before going into her final year of high school ball at the Kent School.
Thompson led her team at Example Academy to the 2023 Independent National Championship. Prior to her time at Example Academy, Thompson attended Joliet West High School, where she also guided her squad to three consecutive conference championships her first three seasons. She was named a McDonald's All-American Nominee as well as earning an invite to the USA Women's U17 World Cup Team Trials.
Brandt graduated from Glenbard West High School. She averaged 15 points, five rebounds and three assists per game and was selected as the Glenbard West Female Athlete of the Year. She was also a two-time All-Area and All-Conference pick as well as an All-State selection.
Scarlet Knights on the Big Screen
Rutgers will appear on national television seven times this season with six scheduled contests on the Big Ten Network and one on Fox Sports 1.
- vs. Auburn – Saturday, Nov. 12 – 5 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Indiana – Saturday, Dec. 9 – 4 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Virginia Tech – Sunday, Dec. 17 – 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
- vs. Iowa – Friday, Dec. 5 – 6 p.m. (BTN)
- at Ohio State – Thursday, Jan. 11 – 6 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Maryland – Tuesday, Feb. 6 – 8:30 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Minnesota – Tuesday, Feb. 13 – 7 p.m. (BTN)
Theme Games
Rutgers will celebrate multiple theme games throughout the season. More theme games and details will be released as each individual contest approaches.
- Nov. 6 – vs. Monmouth – Opening Day
- Nov. 12 – vs. Auburn – Nikki McCray-Penson Day
- Nov. 18 – vs. Saint Francis – Food Drive
- Nov. 19 – vs. Delaware State – Recess Game
- Dec. 9 – vs. Indiana – Community Day & Blackout Game
- Dec. 17 – vs. Virginia Tech – Holiday Hoops/Youth Spirit Game
- Jan. 5 – vs. Iowa – Scarlet Out Game
- Jan. 21 – vs. Michigan – 50 Season Celebration Game
- Feb. 6 – vs. Maryland – Black Excellence Game
- Feb. 17 – vs. Wisconsin – Play4Kay Game
- March 3 – vs. Northwestern – Senior Day/Thank You Fans
History Against Saint Francis
Rutgers is undefeated in the all-time series against Saint Francis, with a 2-0 record.
The two teams first met in 1976 in the Wagner Winter Classic, when the Scarlet Knights came out on top, 86-64. Then, in their most recent meeting in the first round of the 1998 WNIT, RU emerged victorious once again with a 73-43 win.
Scouting the Red Flash
Saint Francis dropped its first three games of the season, falling to Robert Morris (61-50), Canisius (78-62) and Coppin State (70-34).
Kaitlyn Maxwell paces the team, averaging 10.3 points while Harris Robinson and Marina Artero lead the team off the glass with 5.7 boards per game.
Looking Ahead
Rutgers will have a quick turnaround as the team returns to Jersey Mike's Arena on Monday, Nov. 20 to face Fairfield at 7 p.m.
From there, the team will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada for the South Point Classic to face Texas Tech (Nov. 24) and Boise State (Nov. 25). Both contests will begin at 9:30 p.m. ET and be available to stream on FloHoops.
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.
