No. 11 Rutgers Women's Basketball Hosts Iona Sunday
Dec 16 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (December 16, 2011) - No. 11 Rutgers women's basketball (9-2) will cap off its three-game homestand when it hosts Iona (4-5) on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m. The game can be seen live on RVision, presented by AT&T with Danny Breslauer and Adam Helfgott calling the action. Alexa Datt will provide sideline commentary.
The Scarlet Knights suffered a hard-luck loss, their first home defeat of the season against No. 6 Tennessee, 67-61. Senior guards April Sykes (Starkville, Miss.) and Khadijah Rushdan (Wilmington, Del.) led the way for Rutgers as Sykes scored a game-high 27 points and Rushdan added 16 points. Sykes and freshman guard Briyona Canty (Willingboro, N.J.) tied with a team-high seven rebounds.
Rutgers is led offensively by a trio of double-digit scorers in Sykes, Rushdan and junior center Monique Oliver (Las Vegas, Nev.). Sykes paces the squad, averaging a team-best 14.5 points per game, followed by Rushdan with 12.7 and Oliver with 12.3 points per contest. Rushdan leads the team with 3.7 assists per outing.
Oliver leads the Scarlet Knights on the glass, averaging a career-best 9.0 rebounds per game. Sykes is second in rebounding with 5.7 boards per contest, while freshman Betnijah Laney is averaging 4.5. Oliver also has a team-high 2.3 blocks per game.
Iona has dropped three-straight games entering Sunday's matchup with the Scarlet Knights. The Gaels, coming off a 93-44 loss at Marquette, are led by a pair of double-figure scorers in Kristina Ford and Damika Martinez. Ford paces the squad with 18.3 points per game, while Martinez adds a 12.8 scoring clip. Ford is also the team leader with 7.9 rebounds per contest. Suzi Fregosi is the starting point guard for Iona, averaging a team-best 5.1 assists per game.
Rutgers and Iona will meet for just the second time with the Scarlet Knights winning the inaugural matchup, 90-54 in 1977.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
