Women's Basketball Hosts Chattanooga in Season Opener
Nov 09 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team begins the season with a Friday afternoon contest with Chattanooga. Tipoff between the Scarlet Knights and Lady Mocs is at 2 p.m. Fans will receive schedule magnets and the Scarlet Knights will be signing postgame autographs.
| Game One: (RV/NR) Chattanooga (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 11 |
| Time | 2:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | The RAC | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Video | BTN Plus (Kevin Fitzgerald & Cathy Andruzzi) |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WCTC 1450 AM (Danny Breslauer & Mark Peterson) WRSU 88.7 FM (Sean Griffin and Jon Spilletti) |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers ( Big Ten) | Chattanooga ( SoCon) |
| Stats | Rutgers | Chattanooga |
| Tickets | ScarletKnights.com/Tickets |
| Promotions | $2.50 Single Game Ticket Postgame Autographs Junior Knights Club Day Schedule Magnets Halftime: The Amazing Sladek |
WELCOME TO A NEW SEASON
The Rutgers women's basketball team kicks off the 2016-17 season hosting Chattanooga at 2 p.m. on Friday marking the first game of a 29-game slate.
RU graduated six players from last year's roster that went 19-15 overall and reached the second round of the WNIT Tournament Two members of the Class of 2016 - Kahleah Copper and Rachel Hollivay - were drafted by the WNBA.
Eight Scarlet Knights return, however, returning leader scorer and Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, Tyler Scaife, will sit out the 2016-17 season after having a routine medical procedure over the summer.
Junior Shrita Parker begins her third year "On the Banks" as the most experienced Scarlet Knight having averaged 5.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14 starts a year ago. Sophomore KK Sanders also appeared in all 34 contests, with five nods to the starting five, and averaged 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per contest in her first season.
Hall of fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer begins her 22nd season at Rutgers and 46th overall having accumulated 971 wins, ranking her third among active Division I coaches in career victories.
SEASON OPENING NUMBERS
Rutgers is 29-13 all-time in season openers and 12-9 in openers under head coach C. Vivian Stringer.
Additionally, the Scarlet Knights are 35-7 in the first home game of the season, including a 16-5 record under Stringer.
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA
The defending Southern Conference champions, Chattanooga, also begins the 2016-17 season on Friday. RU will be one of two Big Ten Team's on the Lady Moc's nonconference slate as the Bulldogs host Indiana on Nov. 17.
The Lady Mocs finished last season at 24-8 overall and 12-2 in the SoCon. After capturing it's 17th overall and fourth-straight SoCon title with a 65-57 win over Mercer, Chattanooga drew Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and fell 60-50 to the Bulldogs.
The SoCon Preseason Poll picked the Lady Moc s to repeat as conference champions and selected senior Jasime Joyner as the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year. Joyner is a two-time all-conference selection and was voted the 2015 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player. The 6-2 forward holds the Chattanooga record for career blocks and has led the Lady Mocs in scoring and rebounding the last two season. In the 2016-17 campaign, Joyner poured in 13.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and averaged 3.9 blocks per contest.
Senior Queen Alford and junior Keiana Gilbert were also named preseason all-conference players. Alford, a 5-10 guard, was a SoCon All-Tournament team honoree, and led the Lady Mocs in 3-pointers made. Gilbert, meanwhile, averaged 12.6 points and 5.7 rebounds and was Second Team All-SoCon selection last season.
HALL OF FAME SIDELINE
Friday's sideline features two hall of fame coaches in Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer and Chattanooga's Jim Foster.
Foster, who is entering his fourth season coaching the Lady Mocs, and his 39th season overall, was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Along with stops at Ohio State, Vanderbilt, and St. Joseph's, he is sixth all-time in career wins among active coaches having compiled a 865-323 (.726) record.
Stringer, meanwhile, enters her 22nd season at Rutgers and 46th overall having put together a career record of 971-366 and ranks third among active coaches in career victories. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2009.
LAST TIME VS. CHATTANOOGA
The last meeting between the two teams was in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where the Lady Mocs defeated the Scarlet Knights, 74-69, on March 20, 2004.
Rutgers opened up an 11-point first-half lead, but Cappie Pondexter quickly picked up her second and third fouls, and the Lady Mocs closed the half with a 7-2 run to cut RU's advantage to 35-29 at the break.
On the first possession of the second half, Chattanooga went right at Pondexter, and she was whistled for her fourth foul just 10 seconds later, sending her to the bench. The Lady Mocs took their first lead at the 12:36 mark and never trailed again, as Chattanooga scored 16 of their final 29 points from the free-throw line.
RU cut the lead to one with 2:36 to play, but Chattanooga responded with a three-pointer. The Scarlet Knights would again get as close as two points twice in the game's final 1:19, but Chattanooga shot 6-for-8 from the line down the stretch.
Chelsea Newton contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Rutgers women's basketball team is on the road for its next four games. The Scarlet Knights travel to Elon for a meeting with the Phoenix on Monday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m.
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.
-RU-
