Rutgers University
Illinois
Women's Basketball Set to Meet Northwestern in B1G Tournament First Round
Feb 28 | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS — No. 11-seeded Rutgers women's basketball team (11-19, 5-13 B1G) will face the No. 14 seed Northwestern (9-10, 2-16 B1G) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, March 1 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The contest will begin 25 minutes after the completion of the first game, which starts at 2 p.m. ET.
The Scarlet Knights defeated the Wildcats in the teams' only meeting this season, 62-48, on Feb. 15 at Jersey Mike's Arena.
On the Call
- Watch live BTN (Mike Hall & Meghan McKeown)
- Listen on Fox Sports New Jersey 1450 AM / 93.5 FM (Ralph Bednarczyk & Mark Peterson)
- Listen on the SiriusXM App (Sirius135 or 195)
- Listen live on WRSU
Last Time Out
Rutgers dropped a 75-53 decision to then-#25/RV Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena in the team's regular season finale. The program celebrated Senior Day, as graduate student Abbey Streeter was honored pregame for her accomplishments with the Scarlet Knights.
Kaylene Smikle led the way for the Scarlet Knights on Sunday afternoon, netting 18 points and grabbing six rebounds. The freshman also recorded four steals, her fourth performance in the last five games with three or more swipes.
Chyna Cornwell and Kassondra Brown were the other double-digit scorers for RU, recording 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Awa Sidibe added eight points, six boards and three assists in the game.
Last Time In the Big Ten Tournament
To end of the 2021-22 season, Rutgers defeated Penn State (75-50) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament before falling to Indiana (54-66).
The Scarlet Knights win over the Nittany Lions marked the highest margin of victory in a Big Ten Tournament game in program history.
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 17.5 points per game in addition to averaging 19.5 points in conference play.
She is the only Scarlet Knight to net 20+ points in a game this season and has accomplished the feat 13, including versus 10 Big Ten opponents, to pace all freshmen in the league:
- 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)
𝐊𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐄𝐑. 🤫#GoRU | #RUWBB | #B1GWBBall pic.twitter.com/jAJnSgPaxS
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) February 27, 2023
The rookie has reached double-digit scoring in 25 of 30 outings this campaign including in the most recent 17 of 18 games.
With 14 points against Michigan (Feb. 23) Smikle became the third Scarlet Knight in program history to pass the 500-point milestone. She currently stands with 525 total points through 30 games.
500 points ☑️#GoRU | #RUWBB | #B1GWBB pic.twitter.com/w7XYqoOyTm
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) February 24, 2023
The Farmingdale, New York product has also been solid from beyond the arc. Her 51 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 all but two outings this slate.
Smikle has been a threat on defense as well, leading RU with 64 steals to rank third in the Big Ten and first among freshmen. She has secured 3+ takeaways on 12 occasions and 5+ grabs three times. The guard has led Rutgers in the statistic 14 times this slate.
B1G Blocks
Rutgers has recorded 125 blocks over 30 games to rank third 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 eighth in the Big Ten. She has led the team in the stat seven times. Kassondra Brown also sits in 13th with 23 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.
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in 24 of 30 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).
Cornwell leads the Scarlet Knights off the boards, with 8.4 rebounds per game to rank third in the Big Ten.
The junior also grabbed a career best 17 off the glass against Northwestern (Feb. 15) which ranks as the fourth highest single game performance in the Big Ten this season. She also secured 16 boards against Cornell (Nov. 27) to own two of the top five Big Ten single game rebounding performances.
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.
Last Time Against Northwestern
Rutgers came back to defeat Northwestern, 62-48, on Feb. 15 at Jersey Mike's Arena.
The teams went back-and-forth all night, as the game contained 10 total lead changes. Northwestern jumped out to an early 14-10 lead after the first quarter, but Rutgers outscored the Wildcats in the second quarter to cut the deficit to one going into halftime.
With 10 minutes to play, the contest was knotted at 42, but the Scarlet Knights outscored the Wildcats, 20-6, in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Rutgers forced 28 Northwestern turnovers in the victory.
Junior Chyna Cornwell had a career-high 17 boards in the win, helping Rutgers out rebound the opposition, 46-33. The forward also contributed eight points.
Kaylene Smikle also had a big night, netting 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds. She tied a career-high five steals for the second straight game, as the freshman continues to provide strong defensive efforts for RU.
Kassondra Brown netted double figures, collecting 12 points and going a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe.
Awa Sidibe recorded 11 points and nine rebounds, marking her second most boards in a game this season.
History Against NU
Northwestern owns the slight 7-6 edge in the all-time series against Rutgers. The two programs have traded the lats four contests back and forth as the Wildcats came out on top in the last meeting on Jan. 13, 2022 (63-68) before this season's decision.
Scouting the Wildcats
Northwestern has dropped seven of its last eight contests. The team earned its last win of the season against Minnesota (76-62) before dropping its two most recent outings to Wisconsin (57-64) and Nebraska (64-80).
Caileigh Walsh (11.7) and Sydney Wood (10.5) paces the team with double-digit point averages. Walsh also leads the team off the glass with 4.9 rebounds per game.
Next Up
Should Rutgers defeat Northwestern on Wednesday, the team will go onto face Illinois in the sixth game of the Big Ten Tournament. The contest will begin 25 minutes following the completion of the fifth game, which starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 2.
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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