Rutgers University
Indiana
Women's Basketball to Open Big Ten Play Against #16/15 Indiana
Dec 08 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team (6-5, 0-0 B1G) will open its 2023-24 Big Ten slate against No. 16/15 Indiana (7-1, 0-0 B1G) on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.
The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, and you can listen live on Fox Sports New Jersey 1450 AM / 93.5 FM or WRSU. The contest will also be available on SiriusXM 85 or 196, and on the SiriusXM App.
The team will also be celebrating its Black Out game, encouraging everyone to wear black to Jersey Mike's Arena, as well as Community Day. There will also be postgame autographs on the concourse.
Toy Drive
To celebrate the holiday season, the Rutgers women's basketball team will be hosting a Toy Drive, presented by Hermann Services and hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) on Dec. 9. Donations will benefit the New Brunswick Public School District Early Childhood Education pre-schools (kids ages 3-5).
Tis the season! 🎁 💝 https://t.co/yHoJ7eGNmO
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights (@RUAthletics) November 28, 2023
Dropoff will be directly outside of Jersey Mike's Arena. Gifts should be new and unwrapped, with a value of $20 or more.
SAAC will be looking to give gifts to over 300 kids this holiday season. The donated gifts are set to be wrapped and distributed by December 14.
As a thank you for donating, fans who give at the game will receive two free tickets to the women's game versus Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.
Also, all those who make a donation will receive a voucher for a free drink (non-alcoholic) at our concession stands within Jersey Mike's Arena.
Last Time Out
Rutgers defeated La Salle, 98-67, on Tuesday night at Jersey Mike's Arena for its third win in a row.
Brown, a graduate student out of Abington, Pennsylvania, had a strong game with a season-best 12 points, going 5-of-8 shooting (63 percent) from the field, along with six rebounds.
Kaylene Smikle recorded a game-high 21 points in her second-career double-double. The sophomore added 11 boards, 10 of them coming on the defensive end.
Destiny Adams also secured a double-double for the Scarlet Knights, netting 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. In addition, the junior added four assists.
Enjoy these nine seconds of Destiny Adams playing some really good basketball 🤩#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/TB4CrA4OEa
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 6, 2023
Jillian Huerter netted a career-best 16 points as she continues to put her shooting ability on display. The freshman shot 5-of-7 (71 percent) from the field, along with 4-of-6 (67 percent) from beyond the arc.
Sheeshhh @JillianHuerter. 🙌
— Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) December 6, 2023
She's 4-4 on 3's so far tonight. pic.twitter.com/8RnZXVKT6H
Lisa Thompson and Erica Lafayette rounded out Rutgers' double-digit scores, with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The performance marked a season-best for Lafayette.
Rutgers held the advantage for the majority of the contest, only trailing for a total of 17 seconds. The Scarlet Knight pushed their lead to as many as 32 points late in the contest.
The Scarlet Knights put together an impressive offensive showing with their season-best 98 team points and six players scoring in double figures. The win also marked the second-straight game this season that all available players recorded a point in the contest.
RU controlled the pace of the game, outscoring the Explorers on the fast break, 27-8, and forcing 17 turnovers. The Scarlet Knights also dominated the paint with 30 (46-16) more points down low than the opposition.
KB 1K
Brown used a layup at the fourth quarter's 7:02 mark against La Salle to record her 1000th career point.
Newest member of the 1,000 point club right here👇
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 6, 2023
Congrats KB 🏀🫶#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/R0WIr2YAYv
The graduate student out of Abington, Pennsylvania, had a strong game with a season-best 12 points, going 5-of-8 shooting (63 percent) from the field, along with six rebounds.
🚨 1,000 POINTS 🚨
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 6, 2023
With that bucket, Kassondra Brown surpasses the 1,000-point milestone!
📺 @BigTenPlus
📊 https://t.co/VR8Tl6zKNk #GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/LSHy7eq2iD
Brown becomes the 39th Scarlet Knight in program history to reach the milestone and the second under head coach Coquese Washington.
Smikle's Success
Kaylene Smikle has not skipped a beat following her historic freshman season "On The Banks" as she continues to achieve greatness.
The sophomore guard currently paces the team with 16.8 points per game. She has reached double figure scoring in eight of 11 games this season and 20+ points in five outings so far.
The sophomore guard has now reached double figures in 34 games during her collegiate career and 20+ points in 19 contests.
Against Lafayette, she recorded the first 30+ point game of her career with 33 points. The performance was the first 30-point performance since Arella Guirantes recorded 30 points in the NCAA Tournament against BYU on March 22, 2021. The sophomore's 33 points also marked the most points recorded at Jersey Mike's Arena since Guirantes recorded 36 points in the building on February 22, 2020 against Ohio State.
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 outrebounded its opponent in eight of 11 games this season including a campaign high +24 margin against Wagner.
RU has reached 40+ rebounds in seven outings this campaign, including the last three.
With 460 rebounds so far, Rutgers currently paces the Big Ten off the glass, leading the second-place team, Iowa, by 75 boards.
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. 4/4 Iowa*
- No. 15/9 Virginia Tech
- No. 12/13 Ohio State*
- No. 16/17 Indiana*
- No. 25/RV Penn State
- --/No. 25 Michigan
Michigan State (AP Poll), Maryland (USA Today/WBCA) and Princeton (USA Today/WBCA) are also receiving votes across both polls.
*Big Ten contest
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, Jeanine Wasielewski and Kahleah Copper 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.
Copper enjoyed a legendary career at Rutgers before becoming one of the faces of the WNBA. The seventh overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Copper has played a pivotal role in leading the Chicago Sky's rise to success, becoming a three-time WNBA All-Star and leading the team to its first WNBA Championship in 2021 as the Finals MVP. Copper has played 254 games for the Sky, fourth most in franchise history, over her seven-year career in a Sky uniform. She ranks top-five in multiple statistical categories including fourth in scoring (2,676 points), tied for third in 25-plus point games in a single season with seven in 2023 and fifth in total rebounds (799). Copper finished her collegiate career third on Rutgers' all-time scoring list with 1,872 career points, only Sue Wicks and Cappie Pondexter ranked higher at the time. The Philadelphia native also led RU to a 2014 WNIT Championship and was named the MVP of the tournament as a sophomore. That same season, she was also selected to the American Athletic Conference First Team. Copper also guided the Scarlet Knights to the Second Round in the NCAA Tournament in 2015. She was a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection, by both the coaches and media.
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 – Blackout Game & Community Day
- 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 Indiana
Rutgers is 6-7 in the all-time series against Indiana. The Hoosiers have come out on top in the last four meetings. Prior to those meetings, the Scarlet Knights won back-to-back contests in 2018 and 2019.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Since dropping their only game of the season to Stanford (96-64), Indiana has won its last six games. The team most recently defeated Stetson on Dec. 3, 72-34.
Mackenzie Holmes (18.3), Sara Scalia (16.5) and Yarden Garzon (11.5) are all in double figures to lead the team in scoring. Holmes also paces the team off the glass averaging 6.4 rebounds per game.
Looking Ahead
After its four-game homestand, the Scarlet Knights will take the short trip to --/RV Princeton on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 7 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.
