Rutgers University
Michigan
Women's Basketball Travels to Meet No. 12/17 Michigan
Feb 22 | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Rutgers women's basketball team (11-7, 5-11 B1G) will travel to meet No. 12/17 Michigan (20-7, 10-6 B1G) on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. The contest will be streamed on B1G+.
On the Call
- Watch live on B1G+
- Listen live on WRSU
- Listen Live on Sirius XM (Channel 83)
Last Time Out
Rutgers couldn't complete the comeback on the road at Wisconsin (9-19, 4-12 B1G), falling 88-62 on Monday night.
Kaylene Smikle led the Scarlet Knights in scoring for the 16th time this season, netting 19 points in addition to a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
Chyna Cornwell also landed in double digits with 14 points as well as five boards.
TOUGH in the paint 💪#GoRU | #RUWBB | #B1GWBBall pic.twitter.com/Bxpj8ct2N2
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) February 21, 2023
Milestones on Milestones
With 11 points against Michigan State on Jan. 22, Kai Carter reached the 1,000-point milestone. She hit a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the achievement. She is the only active Scarlet Knight to hit 1,000 career points.
1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) January 22, 2023
📺 @BigTenPlus
📊 https://t.co/jYZDXYwoSM#GoRU | #RUWBB | #B1GWBBall pic.twitter.com/QoqsmthpRh
The next game against Penn State (Jan 29), Carter also notched her 500th career rebound, recording eight total boards in the win.
1,000 points and 500 rebounds... what a time to be Kai Carter 🤩
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) January 27, 2023
📺 @BigTenPlus
📊 https://t.co/IQ5v58OZii#GoRU | #RUWBB | #B1GWBBall pic.twitter.com/TDOcOQEPqG
Making History
The team's win over Minnesota (Jan. 12) marked the 1,000th program win for Rutgers. The six-point win also marked head coach Coquese Washington's 100th Big Ten win.
Milestones on milestones.
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) January 13, 2023
Congrats on 100 wins in the Big Ten, Coach @CoqueseWashing ♥️#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/ujSxkmRKki
The Scarlet Knights are the 22nd Division I program to reach 1,000 wins and the fourth this season. RU is also the third current Big Ten program to reach the milestone along with Maryland and Ohio State.
1,000 reasons to celebrate 🤩#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/lPeNAOdFXQ
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) January 13, 2023
First Year Phenom
Freshman Kaylene Smikle continues to impress as she paces the team with 17.6 points per game in addition to averaging 19.9 points in Big Ten play.
Smikle is the only Scarlet Knight to net 20+ points in a game, accomplishing the feat 13 times, including versus 10 Big Ten opponents:
- 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)
- 20 points vs. Nebraska (Jan. 7)
- 20 points at Minnesota (Jan. 12)
- 21 points at Maryland (Jan. 15)
- 27 points at Michigan State (Jan. 22)
- 25 points at Indiana (Jan. 29)
- 28 points at Iowa (Feb. 12)
- 21 point vs. Northwestern (Feb. 12)
The rookie has reached double-digit scoring in 23 of 28 outings this campaign. She has hit double figures in the last 15 of 16 games.
The Farmingdale, New York product has also been solid from beyond the arc. Her 49 three-pointers lead the Scarlet Knights while her five three's against South Dakota State rank as the highest performance in a single game for RU. She has hit at least one three in 26 of 28 contests this slate.
B1G Blocks
Rutgers has recorded 122 blocks over 28 games to rank second in the Big Ten. RU was the first team in the league to hit triple digits.
We like B1G blocks and we cannot lie ✋#GoRU | #RUWBB | #B1GWBBall pic.twitter.com/P97dD88fge
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) February 19, 2023
Antonia Bates paces RU with 28 total blocks, ranking seventh in the Big Ten. She has led the team in the stats seven times. Kassondra Brown also sits in 12th with 22 swats. Four Scarlet Knights have registered three or more blocks in a single contest two or more times.
Doubling Up
The Scarlet Knights have combined for 10 double-doubles this season including three in Big Ten play.
Chyna Cornwell leads the team with eight double-doubles, including three in Big Ten play:
- vs. Seton Hall (Nov. 11) – 10 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Cornell (Nov. 27) – 11 points, 16 rebounds
- at Illinois (Dec. 7) – 10 points, 11 rebounds
- vs. Hampton (Dec. 10) – 18 points, 14 rebounds
- vs. New Orleans (Dec. 18) – 15 points, rebounds
- at Maryland (Jan. 15) – 15 points, 13 rebounds
- vs. Penn State (Jan. 26) – 16 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Wisconsin (Feb. 5) – 16 points, 11 rebounds
In addition, Awa Sidibe (11 pts, 10 reb) recorded a double-double against Seton Hall (Nov. 11) while Kassondra Brown (10 pts, 10 reb) also hit the accomplishment Minnesota (Jan. 12).
Strong Off the Boards
Rutgers has secured more or the same rebounds as the opposition in 15 outings this season, including all but three wins. This season, RU has outrebounded its opponents 1026-1014 (+12).
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in 22 of 28 outings and 40+ boards in 11 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 8.6 rebounds per game to rank third in the Big Ten. Her 17 career-best rebounds against Northwestern (Feb. 15) also measures up as the second-best single game performance this season in the Big Ten.
In addition, the Conover, North Carolina native paces the Big Ten with 92 total offensive rebounds.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
RU will still meet four teams mentioned between the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls this season:
- No. 12/17 Michigan
- 25/RV Illinois
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)
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+.
Last Time Against UM
Rutgers fell short against then-No. 14/16 Michigan, 81-58, on Jan. 19 at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Kai Carter led the way for the Scarlet Knights, scoring 17 points, marking her season-high. She added four rebounds in addition to two assists and a pair of steals. Kaylene Smikle also joined her in double-digit scoring with 12 points.
Rutgers earned 13 steals, their second most in a game this season. Awa Sidibe contributed four grabs, while Smikle also added three of her own.
The Scarlet Knights also added seven blocks, with Antonia Bates and Kassondra Brown tying their career-highs with three each. The Scarlet Knights are leading the Big Ten in the category this season, collecting 98 team blocks through 20 games.
History Against Michigan
Rutgers owns the 6-5 all-time edge over Michigan. The Scarlet Knights won the first four meetings between the programs, but the teams have since gone back and forth on decisions. The Wolverines have come out on top in the two most recent outings.
Scouting the Wolverines
After winning four in a row, Michigan has dropped its last two contests to then-No. 2 Indiana (52-68) and then-No. 16 Ohio State (61-74). The Wolverines are 2-6 against ranked opponents this season.
Leigha Brown (18.2), Laila Phelia (17.0) and Emily Kiser (15.7) are all averaging double-digit points. Kiser also paces the team off the boards with 6.7 rebounds per game.
Next Up
Rutgers will host No. 25/RV Illinois in the regular season finale on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. The contest will be streamed on B1G+.
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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