Jamming in Paradise
Nov 24 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team will spend Thanksgiving Week at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas facing Tulane on Thursday, Virginia on Friday and Green Bay on Saturday.
| Game Five: Rutgers (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Tulane (3-1, 0-0 American) Game Six: Rutgers (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Virginia (4-0, 0-0 ACC) Game Seven: Rutgers (2-2-, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Green Bay (2-0, 0-0 Horizon) | |
| Date | Tulane - Thursday, Nov. 26 Virginia - Friday, Nov. 27 Green Bay - Saturday, Nov. 28 |
| Time | 3:15 p.m. EST | 4:15 p.m. AST |
| Location | UVI Sports & Fitness Center | St. Thomas, USVI |
| Video | vs. Tulane | vs. Virginia | vs. Green Bay |
| Radio | WRSU 88.7 FM (Vinny Caggiano and Matt Salvatore) |
| Live Stats | ParadiseJam.com |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Tulane | Virginia | Green Bay |
| Conference Game Notes | |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Tulane | Virginia | Green Bay |
ALL-TIME RUTGERS WINNER
With a 61-51 win over Temple on Sunday afternoon, head coach C. Vivian Stringer tied Theresa Grentz as the all-time leader in Rutgers basketball victories with 434 wins "On The Banks".
All-Time Rutgers WBB Coaching Records (By Wins)
Theresa Grentz - 434-150/ (1977-95) 19 seasons
C. Vivian Stringer - 434-218/(1995-present) 21 seasons
Ellen Johns - 6-5/(1974-75) One season
Dottie McCrea - 5-9/(1975-76) One season
BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN
The Rutgers women's basketball team returned to the win column on Sunday afternoon with a 61-51 victory over Temple. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for the Scarlet Knights with setbacks against Seton Hall (77-49) and St. John's (69-62).
Against the Owls, the Scarlet Knights finished with two in double figures including Kahleah Copper's second double-double of the season. Copper, RU's returning leading scorer, poured in 13 points and hauled in 11 boards, while Rachel Hollivay added in 10 points to go along with five blocks.
JAMMING IN PARADISE
Rutgers is making its fourth trip to St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam Tournament and will face Tulane, Virginia and Green Bay in the "Island Division". The Scarlet Knights have gone 6-1 in the tournament.
In RU's last appearance in the tournament, the Scarlet Knights brought home the "Reef Division" title with Brittany Ray named the Tournament MVP and Chelsey Lee earning All-Star honors.
Rutgers ran into unfortunate circumstances during the 2006 Tournament. The championship game between RU and Arizona State was canceled after the 15-year-old brother of Arizona State senior forward Aubree Johnson passed away while on the island to watch her sister play.. The Scarlet Knights won their lone contest against Penn State with Kia Vaughn and Essence Carson were named to Tournament All-Star Team.
The Scarlet Knights' first appearance in the tournament came in 2004 with RU taking home the "St. John's Division" title. Michelle Campbell was named Tournament MVP while Chelsea Newton and Matee Ajavon were All-Tournament honorees.
PARADISE JAM RESULTS
2009
N26 vs. Southern California W 66-51
N27 vs. Mississippi State W 62-54
N28 vs. Texas L 67-70
2006
N24 vs. Penn State W 57-44
2004
N25 vs.?South Dakota State W 68-50
N26 vs. Oregon?State W 77-53
N27 vs. Kentucky W 75-60
ABOUT TULANE
The Green Wave improved to 3-1 on the season following a 67-63 victory over LSU on Monday night. Tulane returned to the win column after falling 78-72 to Florida State after opening the seaosn with victories over Little Rock (69-53) and Jackson State (92-49).
Two members of the Green Wave are pouring in double figures with Kolby Morgan serving as the leading scorer aat19.3 points per game and leading rebounder at 5.8 boards per game. Lelie Vorpahl is contributing 14.0 points per game.
Tulane finished the 2014-15 season at 22-11 overall and 11-7 in its first season in the American Athletic Conference. The Green Wave were American Tournament Semifinals and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA First Round, falling to Mississippi State, 57-47, in the first round.
ABOUT VIRGINIA
The Cavaliers are the only team in the "Island Division" the Scarlet Knights have previously faced. RU trails 3-5 in the all-time series and have won four of the last five meetings. The two squads however have not faced each other since the 2002-03 season.
RU and UVA will square off on Friday afternoon with the Cavaliers meeting Green Bay on Thursday to open the tournament and Tulane on Saturday.
Virginia comes to the Virgin Island with a 4-0 mark including home wins over in-state schools Longwood (81-46) and Norfolk State (86-50) and road victories at Middle Tennessee State (70-66) and Auburn (69-52).
The Cavaliers boast four in double figures led by Aliyah Huland El at 15.0 points per game. Faith Randolph checks in as Virginia's second leading scorer at 13.5 points per contest along with a team-leading 6.5 boards per matchup. Rounding out the double-figure scorers are Mikayla Venson at 11.5 ppg and Breyan Mason at 10.3 ppg.
Last season, Virginia captured a 17-14 overall record and 7-9 ACC mark. The Cavaliers reached the ACC Tournament Second Round and WNIT First Round. In the WNIT, the Cavalier fell to Old Dominion, 69-62, a squad also participating in the Paradise Jam in the "Reef Division".
LAST TIME VS. VIRGINIA
The Scarlet Knights mounted a furious late-game rally, but came up just short in a 68-64 loss at Virginia back on Dec. 6, 2002.
The Knights scored the game's first six points and entered the locker room with a 35-28 lead, an advantage that would have been much larger if not for Virginia's 10-of-17 (.588) shooting from the free-throw line. The Cavaliers started the second half with a 16-2 run to take a 44-37 lead with 12:32 remaining in the game, not allowing a RU field goal while forcing five turnovers during the stretch.
With Virginia leading by eight (56-48) with 6:20 on the clock, the Knights reeled off 10 consecutive points to retake the lead (58-56) less than two minutes later. The two teams traded baskets over the next 1:30, but UVA made six of its eight free throws in the closing moments to assure the Cavaliers of the victory.
Cappie Pondexter led the Knights with 19 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. Classmate Chelsea Newton added 16 points, tying for the team lead with four assists and seven rebounds. Mauri Horton collected 13 tallies and Dawn McCullouch had 12 to round out Rutgers' double-digit scorers. Amber Petillon tied with Newton for the team rebounding lead with her seven caroms in 14 minutes off the bench.
Foul trouble limited the Scarlet Knights, especially in the first half. RU was whistled for 15 first-half personal fouls, resulting in a 17-7 advantage in free-throw opportunities for the Cavaliers while forcing RU to sit four of its players with two or more fouls.
ABOUT GREEN BAY
On Friday the Scarlet Knights and Phoenix will meet for the first time on the hardwood. Green Bay will take on Virginia on Thursday and Tulane on Friday.
Green Bay enters the tournament at 2-0 overall with wins at home against Marquette (75-55) and Vanderbilt (58-56).
On the stat sheet, five members of the Phoenix are averaging double figures. Green Bay is led by Tesha Buck at 17.5 points per game and followed by Allie LeClaire at 12.5 points per game. Kaili Lukan checks in at 12.0 points per contest along with a team-leading 8.0 rebounds per game while both Jessica Lindstrom and Sam Terry have averaged 10.0 points per matchup.
Last season, the Phoenix, the Horizon League Champions, registered an 28-5 overall mark and 15-1 Horizon League mark. Green Bay faced Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 80-70.
PASSING THE TORCH
Last season Betnijah Laney was Rutgers' double-double machine posting 20 double-digit scoring and rebounding games.
This season, returning leading scorer Kahleah Copper has picked up right where Laney left off. Through the first four games of the 2015-16 season, Copper has collected two double-doubles.
The senior Scarlet Knight poured in a career-high 30 points and hauled in 10 rebounds in the season opener at St. Joseph's on Nov. 13 and followed with a 13-point, 11-rebound effort against Temple on Nov. 22. Both of her double-double efforts have come against schools from her hometown of Philadelphia.
To date, Copper has registered seven double figure scoring and rebounding contests.
With her 30 points against the Hawks, Copper surpassed her previous career bench mark of 27 points set in the third round WNIT game against Seton Hall in 2014. Additionally it was the 23rd time the senior Scarlet Knight added in 20 or more points in a contest.
Copper has scored in double figures in her last 15 contests dating back to last season. She has reached double figures in all four contests in 2015-16 and last 11 games of the 2014-15 season.
More recently, Copper's 11 rebounds vs. Temple marked her seventh double-digit rebounding effort of her four seasons "On the Banks".
ON THE GLASS
Senior Ariel Butts returned to the court to make her 2015-16 debut last Thursday against St. John's to set a new career mark in rebounds.
Butts hauled in 11 boards, including nine on the defense glass, to reset her previous benchmark of 10 set against Iowa last season in the Big Ten home opener.
Butts had missed the first two games of the season after a subluxation of the knee in the preseason made her a game day decision. Through two games, she is averaging 8.0 rebounds per contest.
HELPING HAND
Redshirt senior guard Briyona Canty registered a season-high five assists in RU's last time out against Temple and currently leads the squad at 4.3 assists per game.
The Scarlet Knights' top play makers has recorded 23 games in her career handing out the ball five or more times, including 15 of her 29 games last year.
Last season, had two double figure assist games in RU's 63-52 second round Big Ten Tournament win over Indiana as well as RU's victory over Northeastern on Nov. 18, 2013. Canty's double dishing effort marked the first double-digit assist game for a Scarlet Knight since Syessence Davis dished out the ball 10 times against Providence on Jan. 16, 2013.
In addition to her 10 assists in the opening Big Ten Tournament game with Indiana, she also handed the ball out six times in the quarterfinal against Northwestern to average 8.0 assists during Big Ten post-season play.
BLOCK PARTY
Rachel Hollivay checks in to this week's Paradise Jam with 227 career blocks, ranking fifth all-time at Rutgers. She needs 19 more rejections to move past Tanya Hansen (1988-92) into fourth place.
Hollivay is coming off a five block performance against Temple in RU's last contest prior to making the trip to St. Thomas.
The senior Scarlet Knight has registered 38 games in her career with three or more blocks.
Hollivay ended her sophomore season with 127 rejections which ranks her 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.
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-RU-
