Rutgers Women's Basketball Commences
Nov 08 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team begins its 2007-08 season with an exhibition contest versus China on Thursday evening, Nov. 8 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights return 98.7 percent of their scoring power, which includes five starters and nine letterwinners, from a squad that finished 27-9 overall and captured their first-ever BIG EAST Tournament crown. Rutgers appeared in its 18th NCAA Championship last season, advancing to the school's second Final Four showing and first national title game.
China is ranked No. 10 internationally as they prep for the 2008 Beijing Games with a tour of the U.S. Only four players from the Chinese roster are less than 6-feet tall, including Miao Lijie, who plays for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. Lijie was a teammate on the Monarchs of former Rutgers standout Chelsea Newton ('05).
The Chinese contingent has faced a number of the nation's top teams in the NCAA this past week. They defeated New Mexico on Nov. 1, 67-61. Texas A&M recorded a 76-70 victory over the Chinese on Nov. 3. On Tuesday evening, North Carolina overcame a seven-point deficit to register a 70-68 victory. The win came on a tip-in off a missed free throw with eight seconds to go.
RU, ranked third in both the AP and the USA Today/ESPN coaches' polls, officially kicks off the season on Sunday, Nov. 11 in a nationally-televised ESPN contest versus No. 7/8 Stanford.
