No. 24 WBB Opens Season With St. Joseph's
Nov 12 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2014
Rutgers has won the last two straight meetings and four of the last five.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
GETTING TO THE POINTS
On the season, RU averaged 66.2 points per game. That was 10.2 points more than the squad averaged the previous year and the best scoring average since the Final Four season in 2006-07, when the Scarlet Knights averaged 64.4 points per game.
The Scarlet Knights scored 60 or more points in 29 of their 37 games last season, reaching the 70+ point mark 10 times and the 90+ mark three times.
Top Rutgers Team Scoring Averages
400-WIN CLUB
All-Time Rutgers WBB Coaching Records (By Wins)
PROTECTING HOME COURT
The squad's 15 home wins in 2013-14 season tied for the most wins at the RAC under the 19-year tenure of C. Vivian Stringer. The Scarlet Knights also went 15-3 at home in the 1998-99 season.
LIVING IN THE PAINT
Hollivay ended the year with 127 rejections and is third (men or women) in blocks in a single season. Only Hamady Ndiaye (2009-10) and Roy Hinson (1982-83) on the men's side have blocked more shots in a single season, swatting away 145 and 144, respectively.
20/20 VISION
RU's leading scorer and WNIT MVP Kahleah Copper reached the 20+ point milestone 11 times last season, the most since Brittany Ray did so seven times in 2009-10.
CLEANING THE GLASS
D-D-D-FENSE
With three steals against USF in the WNIT semifinals, Davis became just the third Scarlet Knight with 100 or more steals in a season. She finished the year with 107 thefts, second on the single season steals leaders list.
TURNOVERS
Conversely, the Scarlet Knights committed fewer than 20 turnovers in 31 games, 15 or fewer miscues in 23 games and less than 10 three times.
NO MESSY, ESSY
Against Harvard in second round WNIT play, Davis dished out a season-high eight assists and committed just two turnovers. Davis had four assists to no turnovers coming against Delaware in the first round of the WNIT and SMU in the quarterfinal of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
RU's point guard committed no turnovers in four other contests - Texas Tech (3 ast/0 to), USF (7 ast/0 to), Cincinnati (5 ast/0 to) and Houston (2 ast/0 to).
HAND OUTS
IN BIG GAMES
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB ), Twitter (www.twitter.com/RutgersWBB ) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/RutgersWBB ) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
| Game One: #24/RV Rutgers vs. St. Joseph's | |
| Date | Friday, November 14, 2014 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | Piscataway, N.J. | RAC |
| Tickets | Click To Purchase |
| Video | BTN Plus Lou Brogno & Julianne Viani |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WCTC (1450AM) Danny Breslauer & Mark Peterson Rutgers Student Radio - WRSU (88.7 FM) Dylan Mruczinski & Matt Salvatore |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | St. Joseph's |
| Statistics (2013-14) | Rutgers | St. Joseph's |
| Social Media | @RutgersWBB  | Facebook/RutgersWBB  |
| Promotions | - Rutgers Camo Hats for First 1,000 Fans - Football Ticket Promo - Show Indiana FB ticket for free WBB ticket |
TIP OFF
? The 2014 WNIT Champions kick off the 2014-15 season at home with St. Joseph's on Fri., Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The Hawks are one of 10 teams RU will face that reached the NCAA Tournament Team last March.
? Rutgers returns all 10 letterwinners and its five starters from its WNIT Championship run. The squad also adds two freshmen and two JUCO transfers.
? The Scarlet Knights enter their first season of Big Ten play. The Big Ten had 11 of the current 14 members reach postseason play including six teams in the NCAA Tournament (Maryland, Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan State, Iowa & Purdue) and five in the WNIT (Rutgers, Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern & Michigan). Additionally five teams were represented in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and six were among the top 25 in the final AP Poll.
? The RU rosters features four seniors, six juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. Among the returnees are WNIT MVP Kahleah Copper, American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Tyler Scaife, Second Team All-AAC Betnijah Laney and RU's single season leader in blocks in Rachel Hollivay.
ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S
St Joseph's is coming off a 23-10 campaign from a season ago as the Hawks reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. St. Joe's, who defeated Georgia in first round action, had their tournament run stopped by eventual national champion, UConn. It was the Hawks' fifth straight postseason bid.
The Hawks return eight letterwinners from last year's team. Among the returnees are junior forward and returning leading scorer Sarah Fairbanks and senior guard Natasha Cloud,
SJU's leading rebounder and play maker. Fairbanks averaged 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Cloud posted 11.5 points and a team-leading 6.6 boards and 7.6 assists per game. Cloud is tied for eighth all-time in assists (385) at St. Joseph's and set the single season record for assists (243) last season.
ALL-TIME VS. ST. JOSEPH'S
Friday marks the 44th meeting between Rutgers and St. Joseph's. The two schools were once A-10 rivals between 1983-84 and 1994-95 seasons.
Rutgers has won the last two straight meetings and four of the last five.
LAST TIME VS. ST. JOSEPH'S
It was exactly six years ago that Rutgers and St. Joseph's last met on the hardwood.
Rutgers rolled to a 85-59 season opening win on Nov. 14, 2008 behind 26 points by then junior guard Epiphanny Prince. Kia Vaughn added 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
RU outscored the Hawks by 44 points (50-6) in the paint.
KICKING OFF THE SEASON
Rutgers is 27-13 all-time in season openers and 10-9 in openers under head coach C. Vivian Stringer.
Additionally, the Scarlet Knights are 34-6 in the first home game of the season, including a 15-4 record under Stringer.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
The Rutgers women's basketball team missed out on an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but earned an at-large bid to the WNIT and captured the 2014 title in its first and only appearance in the post-season tournament.
The Scarlet Knights were one of three teams from the American Athletic Conference to earn a WNIT bid - joining USF and SMU. Additionally, four teams from the Big Ten - Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan & Northwestern - were selected to the WNIT.
FAMILIAR TERRITORY
With the 56-54 win over UTEP in the WNIT championship game, Rutgers closed out the 2013-14 campaign with 28 wins, the most wins since the 2004-05 season when the Scarlet Knights went 28-7 and reached the Elite Eight.
GETTING TO THE POINTS
Rutgers had one of the highest scoring averages under C. Vivian Stringer's 19-year tenure "On the Banks" with the 2013-14 squad.
On the season, RU averaged 66.2 points per game. That was 10.2 points more than the squad averaged the previous year and the best scoring average since the Final Four season in 2006-07, when the Scarlet Knights averaged 64.4 points per game.
The Scarlet Knights scored 60 or more points in 29 of their 37 games last season, reaching the 70+ point mark 10 times and the 90+ mark three times.
Top Rutgers Team Scoring Averages
1. 70.0 (35 games) 1998-99 - 29-6 - Elite Eight
2. 68.7 (32 games) 1997-98 - 22-10 - Sweet 16
3. 67.3 (29 games) 2002-03 - 21-8 - 2nd Round
4. 66.2 (37 games) 2013-14 - WNIT CHAMPIONS
5. 65.6 (31 games) 2000-01 - 23-8 - 2nd Round
400-WIN CLUB
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer won her 400th career victory "On The Banks" at Houston on Feb. 11, 2014. Stringer needs 26 more wins to surpass Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz as RU's all-time winningest women's basketball coach
All-Time Rutgers WBB Coaching Records (By Wins)
Theresa Grentz - 434-150/ (1977-95) 19 seasons
C. Vivian Stringer - 409-205/(1995-present) 19 seasons
Ellen Johns - 6-5/(1974-75) One season
Dottie McCrea - 5-9/(1975-76) One season
PROTECTING HOME COURT
The Scarlet Knights have had an outstanding track record of success at home during the previous 10 seasons under head coach C. Vivian Stringer. RU went 15-3 at home in 2013-14 and has gone 150-23 at the RAC since the 2002-03 season.
The squad's 15 home wins in 2013-14 season tied for the most wins at the RAC under the 19-year tenure of C. Vivian Stringer. The Scarlet Knights also went 15-3 at home in the 1998-99 season.
LIVING IN THE PAINT
RU scored 30 or more points in the paint in 26 of its 37 games last season. Rutgers registered 40 or more points inside six times during the 2013-14 campaign, including a season-high of 52 against Wagner (Dec. 13) and UCF (Feb. 15).
BLOCK PARTY
With two blocks against No. 1/1 UConn in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, center Rachel Hollivay became Rutgers' single season leader in rejections surpassing former great Sue Wick's record of 97 set during the 1986-87 season.
She followed by adding another pair of blocks in the WNIT First Round victory over Delaware to become the first women's basketball player in RU history with over 100 rejections in a season.
Hollivay ended the year with 127 rejections and is third (men or women) in blocks in a single season. Only Hamady Ndiaye (2009-10) and Roy Hinson (1982-83) on the men's side have blocked more shots in a single season, swatting away 145 and 144, respectively.
20/20 VISION
A member of the Scarlet Knights scored 20 or more points 22 times in 2013-14, the most 20+ point outings since the 2010-11 season when RU had a Scarlet Knight reach the milestone 15 times.
RU's leading scorer and WNIT MVP Kahleah Copper reached the 20+ point milestone 11 times last season, the most since Brittany Ray did so seven times in 2009-10.
BETTING DOUBLE
Forward Betnijah Laney captured 15 double-doubles last season, the most double figure scoring and rebounding games since Kia Vaughn, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, had 12 double-doubles during the 2006-07 season.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Rutgers won the battle on the boards in 23 of its 37 games going 21-2 when winning the war on the glass.
Betnijah Laney led RU in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game, ranking her fourth in the American Athletic Conference, behind Stefanie Dolson of UConn and Alisia Jenkins of USF. Laney has had 17 double digit rebounding efforts last season.
D-D-D-FENSE
Point guard Syessence Davis proved to be invaluable member of the defense yet again. Davis has recorded three or more steals in 25 of the last 33 games, as her 2.9 steals per game average led the American and was ninth nationally. Davis recorded a career-high seven steals against Wagner (Dec. 12), surpassing her previous best effort of five which was captured on five occasions, most recently at UTEP during the WNIT championship game.
With three steals against USF in the WNIT semifinals, Davis became just the third Scarlet Knight with 100 or more steals in a season. She finished the year with 107 thefts, second on the single season steals leaders list.
TURNOVERS
RU forced the opposition into at least 20 or more turnovers 15 times in 37 games.
Conversely, the Scarlet Knights committed fewer than 20 turnovers in 31 games, 15 or fewer miscues in 23 games and less than 10 three times.
NO MESSY, ESSY
Syessence Davis ranked 22nd nationally in assist/turnover ratio and was second in the American in the category.
Against Harvard in second round WNIT play, Davis dished out a season-high eight assists and committed just two turnovers. Davis had four assists to no turnovers coming against Delaware in the first round of the WNIT and SMU in the quarterfinal of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
RU's point guard committed no turnovers in four other contests - Texas Tech (3 ast/0 to), USF (7 ast/0 to), Cincinnati (5 ast/0 to) and Houston (2 ast/0 to).
HAND OUTS
Syessence Davis was generous with the ball through the 37 games of the 2013-14 campaign, averaging 4.2 assists per game. The Neptune, New Jersey native handed out five or more assists in 16 contests, including a season-high eight assists in the second round WNIT victory over Harvard. She also dished out seven helpers on five occasions
IN BIG GAMES
American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Tyler Scaife certainly wasn't afraid of the competition. In the game against defending national champion, Connecticut, and two contests with 2013 national runner-up, Louisville, Scaife averaged 15.0 points per game.
In the first meeting with UConn, Scaife poured in 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Three games later against Louisville, she collected a then career-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
THE WILL TO SCORE
Rutgers has had three or more Scarlet Knights reach double figures in 26 of 37 games last season.
Forward Kahleah Copper reached double figures in 31 of her 36 appearances. Copper was the first Scarlet Knight since Epiphanny Prince in the 2006-07 season to start the year off with 11 straight double figure performances. Prince kicked off the 2006-07 national championship game season running away with 11 straight double figure contests.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB ), Twitter (www.twitter.com/RutgersWBB ) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/RutgersWBB ) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
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Players Mentioned
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