No. 7/8 Rutgers Continues Road Trip Against USF
Jan 19 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (January 19, 2012) - No. 7/8 Rutgers women's basketball will cap-off a two-game road trip on Saturday, Jan. 21 when it travels to the University of South Florida in hopes of bouncing back from its first BIG EAST loss of the season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the USF Recreation Center.
The contest can be heard live on Rutgers student radio WRSU (88.7 FM).
The Scarlet Knights (15-3, 4-1 BIG EAST) snapped a six-game win streak, falling 62-57 to St. John's on Tuesday night. Senior Khadijah Rushdan (Wilmington, Del.) scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the final three minutes against the Red Storm and added eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks on the night, but 21 turnovers proved to be too much for RU to overcome. Junior Monique Oliver (Las Vegas, Nev.) complemented Rushdan down-low with 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Senior April Sykes (Starkville, Miss.) opened Tuesday's contest with her 1,001 career point to become the 31st player in RU women's basketball history to reach the plateau.
The trio of Rushdan, Oliver and Sykes - each averaging double-figure points - are combining for 38.7 points per game. Sykes paces RU scoring 14.2 points per contest, while Oliver is shooting a .560 clip from the floor and is pulling down a career-best 7.9 rebounds. Rushdan is adding 12.3 points per contest, while Oliver chips in with a 12.2 average.
Defense remains a mainstay for the Scarlet Knights, holding opponents to 53.2 points per game (20th nationally) and a .329 percentage from the field, which ranks seventh in the country.
USF (11-8, 3-2) upset No. 21/19 DePaul, 66-63, in overtime on Tuesday, handing the Blue Demons their fourth loss of the season. Jasmine Wynne extended her double-digit scoring streak to 15 games with 16 points on the night, while junior Kaneisha Saunders provided a spark off the bench with 16 points of her own.
Wynne leads the team with 16.1 points per game - ranking fifth in the BIG EAST - and 6.0 rebounds. Junior transfer Inga Orekhova is averaging 15.5 points in the last four contests - after missing the first 15 games of the season. Saunders adds 12.5 per contest.
The Scarlet Knights hold a 5-1 all-time advantage over USF and have won two-straight in the series. RU is undefeated on USF's home court, winning all three matchups.
