Carson Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Jan 10 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ – Rutgers’ Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ) has been named the BIG EAST Conference Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Jan. 10.
A 6-0 guard, Carson pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in RU’s 51-49 overtime upset victory against No. 1/1 LSU Jan. 5, and added four points and three assists. In the Scarlet Knights’ 64-49 victory at St. John’s Jan. 8, she scored a season-best 16 points on 7-for-11 (.636) shooting to help lead Rutgers to a win in its BIG EAST season opener.
Classmate Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ), a two-time BIG EAST Freshman-of-the-Week honoree this season, and Carson mark the first pair of Rutgers freshmen to earn the award during the same season since the 1997-98 campaign, when Tasha Pointer (four times) and Linda Miles (once) both earned the BIG EAST Rookie-of-the-Week award as true freshmen. Sophomore Shawnetta Stewart (once) also earned the honor that season, her first “On the Banks.”
The No. 14/19 Rutgers women’s basketball team (10-2, 1-0 BIG EAST) will play two BIG EAST Conference home games in three days, starting with Pittsburgh (9-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) Tuesday, Jan. 11. Tipoff at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000) will be at 7:30 p.m. The game will be carried on WRSU 88.7 FM. A live stream of the radio broadcast, as well as live statistics, will be offered on www.scarletknights.com. For tickets, please call the Rutgers Athletic Ticket Office at (732) 445-2766 or (866) 445-GORU.
