Women's Basketball Closes Out Homestand Monday Night with JMU
Dec 04 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team's closes out its current homestand welcoming the three-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champions, James Madison, on Monday night at 7 p.m. at the RAC.
| Game Nine: James Madison (4-3, 0-0 CAA) | |
| Date | Monday, Dec. 5 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | The RAC | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Video | BTN Plus (Lou Brogno & Cathy Andruzzi) |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WCTC 1450 AM (Ralph Bednarczyk & Mark Peterson) WRSU 88.7 FM (Nick Kosko & Andrew Fafalios) |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers ( Big Ten) | James Madison (CAA) |
| Stats | Rutgers | James Madison |
| Tickets | ScarletKnights.com/Tickets |
| Promotions | Grilled Chicken Caeser Wrap with Beverage - $7 Riot Squad Halftime Game Winter Pocket Schedules |
CLOSING OUT HOMESTAND LOOKING FOR MOMENTUM
Rutgers closes out a four-game homestand on Monday night with a matchup against the three-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champions, James Madison. It will be the first ever meeting between the Scarlet Knights and Dukes.
RU put behind Thursday's loss to Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a 57-53 win over Bucknell on Saturday afternoon. Junior Kandiss Barber set a new-career mark with 17 points while classmate Shrita Parker was just shy of her first career double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Rutgers opened the contest on fire holding a 20-point halftime edge while shooting 62.1 percent through the game's first two quarters.
RU held a 41-21 edge entering halftime but the Bison fought back to within a bucket with 1:34 remaining in the game. While the Scarlet Knights never trailed, they held on to a 55-53 lead with 17 seconds left on the clock. Parker, RU's top free throw shooter at 94 percent, tacked on two free throws to seal the RU win.
ABOUT JAMES MADISON
The Dukes are 4-3 overall this season and returned to the win column on Friday night with a 71-50 victory over Hampton after going 1-1 over Thanksgiving at the Cancun Challenge. In Mexico, James Madison fell 90-75 to Iowa while picking up an 83-53 win over Idaho State.
Redshirt senior guard and Naismith Preseason Watch List member Precious Hall, leads JMU at 22.1 ppg, while freshman guard and two-time CAA Rookie of the Week Kamiah Smalls is pouring in 12.6 ppg along with 5.6 rpg. Senior forward Da'Lishia Griffin leads the Dukes on the boards at 7.3 rpg while adding in 8.3 ppg.
Head coach Sean O'Regan is in his first season at the helm of the James Madison program after spending the last nine seasons as an assistant/associate head coach with the team. While an assistant, the Dukes reached the postseason each year recording 24 or more wins each season. Additionally, he helped JMU to five CAA championships.
MILESTONE NUMBERS
In Saturday's win over Bucknell, the Rutgers women's basketball team played its 1300th game in history since beginning the program in 1974. Since then, RU has gone 899-401 and is just one win shy of becoming the 18th program in history to capture 900 program victories.
BRIGHT SPOT WITH BARBER
Kandiss Barber has led RU in scoring in two of the last three games including a 17-point effort on Saturday in the victory over Bucknell and 14 points in the first victory of the season vs. Bryant.
In the Bulldog victory, the Chula Vista, California native went 6-of-9 from the field for her second double figure scoring game of the year. Against the Bison, she went 7-of-15 from the floor and nailed two free throws in the waning moments to keep the Scarlet Knights from losing their cushion in the game.
Against the Blue Devils in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge last Thursday, Barber, who was fighting a stomach bug, hauled in a season-high eight rebounds as the game's leader on the boards along with six points.
PARKER'S PRESENCE
Shrita Parker is not who the opposition wants at the line when the game is on the line. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native has missed only one free throw to date and is 19-of-20 (.950) from the stripe.
Her free throw prowess came in handy in Saturday's win over Bucknell. As the Bison closed in on the RU advantage, Parker iced two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to put the game away.
Also against the Bison on Saturday, the junior guard was only one rebound away from her first career and the Scarlet Knight's first double-double of the season. She logged 11 points and nine boards in the win.
The most veteran member of the roster, Parker is among the top players in the league getting time on the hardwood averaging 34.4 minutes per contest.
KEYING IN ON KK SANDERS
Last Thursday against Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, sophomore KK Sanders dished out six assists, one helper shy of tying her career-high set against Minnesota (Feb. 4) last season.
Over the course of the last three games, Sanders has averaged 5.3 helpers per contest.
Opponent offenses may also want to watch out for the Kankakee, Illinois native who is averaging 2.0 steals per game, which is sixth in the Big Ten. Sanders had a career-high four thefts against Elon and Virginia earlier this season.
PROTECTING HOMECOURT
The Scarlet Knights have had an outstanding track record of success at home. The Scarlet Knights went 12-5 at home in 2015-16, with four of the five setbacks against team featured in the polls (Top 25 - Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan State; Receiving Votes - St. John's; Not Ranked: Virginia).
Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 175-36 (.829) at the RAC.
UP NEXT
Rutgers has two more games on tap this week, both on the road. The Scarlet Knights head to St. John's on Wednesday, Dec. 7 and Houston on Saturday, Dec. 10.
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-
