Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)
Women's Hoops To Battle Harvard on Saturday
Dec 06 | Women's Basketball
Scarlet Knights & Crimson Tipoff on 2 p.m. With Live Stream on ESPN +
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team travels to Harvard for a matchup with the Crimson at 2 p.m. at the Lavietes Basketball Pavilion.
ON THE AIRWAVES
Saturday's contest at Harvard will air on WRSU, 88.7 FM Rutgers Student Radio with Matt Howe and Jake Ostrove.
HOW TO WATCH
Saturday's Rutgers at Harvard clash will be streamed on ESPN +.
BEANTOWN CHALLENGE FOR THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
After three games in three days over the Thanksgiving break at the Vancouver Showcase followed by a quick turnaround to Virginia Tech for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the Scarlet Knights have gotten some much needed rest and return to the hardwood at Harvard on Saturday.
Rutgers is coming off a 67-51 loss to the Hokies in the Challenge in game that saw graduate student guard Sierra Calhoun log a season-high 14 points and fellow classmate Charise Wilson add in 11 points. Additionally, redshirt senior forward Stasha Carey had eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Scarlet Knights kicked off the season at 4-0 at home before falling to two squads currently in ranked in the top 25 at the Vancouver Showcase. After setbacks with Drake and Gonzaga, Rutgers rebounded for a 24-point victory over ETSU.
Saturday's game with the Crimson will mark only the second true road contest for the Scarlet Knights.
ABOUT HARVARD
Harvard welcomes Rutgers on Saturday in game three of a four-game homestand with a 4-5 overall record. The Crimson will be looking to snap a two-game skid which included a 67-60 loss to Maine on Tuesday night and a 72-67 double overtime loss to Quinnipiac on Nov. 30.
The Crimson are led by a trio of double digit scorers led by junior guard Katie Benzan with 13.8 points per game and team-leading 4.4 assists per game. Benzan also leads the nation in 3-point field goals attempted (84) and is sixth in 3-point field goals made (29).
Sophomore Jadyn Bush is second on the stat sheet at 12.4 points per game to go along with a team-leading 9.6 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Sydney Skinner, meanwhile, is adding in 12.3 points per contest.
Collectively, the Crimson rank eighth in the nation in 3-point field goals attempted and ninth in 3-point field goals made.
Harvard currently lead all Ivy League schools in field goal percentage (.415), 3-point field goal percent (.338), assists (16.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.0).
LAST TIME VS. HARVARD
Sophomore forward Kahleah Copper exploded for 19 points and 12 rebounds to help lead the Rutgers women's basketball team to a 63-52 second round WNIT back on March 24, 2014. The Scarlet Knights would ultimately take home the 2014 WNIT Postseason trophy four games later.
With a 32-31 Crimson edge early in the second half, the Scarlet Knights responded with a 14-2 run and took over the lead for good. Copper fueled eight of the run's 14 points as RU led 45-34 at the midway point of the second stanza. Harvard pulled no closer than six, 46-40, with 7:45 remaining, and in the game's final minutes Rutgers pushed its advantage back up to as many as 12.
Copper collected her fourth double-double of the year in the victory and was joined by junior Betnijah Laney in double digits. Laney shot 6-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe for 17 points on the night.
In all, the Scarlet Knights took advantage of 20 Harvard turnovers resulting in 21 points.
Syessence Davis and Briyona Canty combined for 13 of RU's 15 assists, with Davis dishing out a season-high eight helpers.
WELCOME HOME ICE
Rutgers Assistant AD - Basketball Operations, Michelle Edwards, returns to her old stomping grounds when RU visits Harvard this weekend.
The Boston, native a former collegiate national player of the year, international all-star, WNBA franchise player and 2014 inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, begins her 16th season on the Rutgers staff.
A native of Boston, Mass., Edwards played for Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer at the University of Iowa from 1984-88. Following a freshman season in which she helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 20-8 record, Edwards piloted UI to back-to-back NCAA Tournament regional final appearances (1987, 1988) and a No. 1 national ranking.
As a senior, Edwards - nicknamed `Ice' for her ability to hit the clutch shot - was selected the Big Ten Player of the Year, a Kodak, Naismith and USBWA All-American and the Champion National Player of the Year.
A 2000 Iowa Hall of Fame inductee, she is the only female Hawkeye to have her jersey retired. She posted career totals that still rank in the top-three more than twenty years later, having scored 1,821 points (third all-time), 431 assists (second) and 235 steals (third). Edwards was selected as one of Iowa's "Top 50 Athletes of the Century" as well as the Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Decade in 1989.
Edwards, who won a bronze medal at the 1991 Pan-American Games under Stringer's tutelage, played professionally in Italy from 1988-97. She earned three Italian League All-Star Game MVP awards during her stay. Edwards returned to the States when the WNBA was formed and was the second allocation from the original group of 16 "franchise" players. Edwards played a total of five seasons (1997-2001) for the Cleveland Rockers and Seattle Storm, averaging 7.6 points and 2.8 assists per game.
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that is currently 8-1 overall with a victory over then No. 12/13 South Carolina to take third place at the Vancouver Showcase. Entering the week, the Bulldogs check in at No. 21 in both polls.
Gonzaga, meanwhile, broke into the Top 25 this week at No. 24 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll following a 79-73 win over No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 8-1 on the season with the lone loss coming against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge.
Virginia Tech remains undefeated at 9-0 with votes in both major polls.
All together, the three teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 25-2 on the 2018-19 season.
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 1002-405 career record now in her 48th season of coaching and joined the elite 1,000 career victory club on November 13 in the Scarlet Knight victory over Central Connecticut State.
Stringer is the sixth NCAA women's basketball coach and fifth NCAA Division I women's basketball coach to reach the milestone victory.
In 2013, Stringer became just the seventh coach - men's or women's - to reach the 900-win mark.
Stringer's 35 20-win seasons are second-best in women's basketball history. Former Tennessee head coach Pat Summit leads all coaches with 36 20-win seasons.
The Naismith and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Coach is the fifth active winningest Division I coach and sixth all-time in career wins in NCAA women's basketball history.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the first eight games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in five categories.
The Scarlet Knights are among the top teams in the nation denying shots checking in this week fifth nationally in blocks (53) and sixth in blocks per game (6.6). Additionally RU is eighth in field goal percentage defense (.318) and 13th in scoring defense (52.4).
Rutgers who set a school record in rebounds in the season opener against St. Francis (Pa.) are 20th in the country in rebound margin (10.9).
Individually, Stasha Carey is currently 20th in blocked shots with 17 total rejections.
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - .318
Rebounding Defense - 1st - 29.5
Blocked Shots - 1st - 6.8
Steals - 2nd - 9.8
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Stasha Carey - 5th - Blocks - 2.1
Victoria Harris - 6th - Steals - 1.9
Caitlin Jenkins - 11th - Rebounding - 8.7
Mael Gilles - 12th - Blocks - 1.3
Charise Wilson - 12th - Ast/TO Ratio - 1.5 / 13th - Assists - 3.9
D-D-D-DEFENSE
The defense turned up the pressure last season leading the Big Ten in scoring defense holding opponents to just 59.3 points per game.
Twenty-nine of RU's 32 opponents were held under their scoring average.
So far in 2018-19, the trend has held steady with all four opponents under their scoring average.
UP NEXT
RU will have a week to get ready for its next game, a tilt with LSU. The Scarlet Knights and Tigers tipoff on Saturday, Dec. 15 on BTN with Mike Monaco and Christy Winters-Scott on the call.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball at www.ScarletKnights.com and (@RutgersWBB) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates. For additional updates, download the Rutgers Gameday App.
ON THE AIRWAVES
Saturday's contest at Harvard will air on WRSU, 88.7 FM Rutgers Student Radio with Matt Howe and Jake Ostrove.
HOW TO WATCH
Saturday's Rutgers at Harvard clash will be streamed on ESPN +.
BEANTOWN CHALLENGE FOR THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
After three games in three days over the Thanksgiving break at the Vancouver Showcase followed by a quick turnaround to Virginia Tech for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the Scarlet Knights have gotten some much needed rest and return to the hardwood at Harvard on Saturday.
Rutgers is coming off a 67-51 loss to the Hokies in the Challenge in game that saw graduate student guard Sierra Calhoun log a season-high 14 points and fellow classmate Charise Wilson add in 11 points. Additionally, redshirt senior forward Stasha Carey had eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Scarlet Knights kicked off the season at 4-0 at home before falling to two squads currently in ranked in the top 25 at the Vancouver Showcase. After setbacks with Drake and Gonzaga, Rutgers rebounded for a 24-point victory over ETSU.
Saturday's game with the Crimson will mark only the second true road contest for the Scarlet Knights.
ABOUT HARVARD
Harvard welcomes Rutgers on Saturday in game three of a four-game homestand with a 4-5 overall record. The Crimson will be looking to snap a two-game skid which included a 67-60 loss to Maine on Tuesday night and a 72-67 double overtime loss to Quinnipiac on Nov. 30.
The Crimson are led by a trio of double digit scorers led by junior guard Katie Benzan with 13.8 points per game and team-leading 4.4 assists per game. Benzan also leads the nation in 3-point field goals attempted (84) and is sixth in 3-point field goals made (29).
Sophomore Jadyn Bush is second on the stat sheet at 12.4 points per game to go along with a team-leading 9.6 rebounds per game.
Senior guard Sydney Skinner, meanwhile, is adding in 12.3 points per contest.
Collectively, the Crimson rank eighth in the nation in 3-point field goals attempted and ninth in 3-point field goals made.
Harvard currently lead all Ivy League schools in field goal percentage (.415), 3-point field goal percent (.338), assists (16.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.0).
LAST TIME VS. HARVARD
Sophomore forward Kahleah Copper exploded for 19 points and 12 rebounds to help lead the Rutgers women's basketball team to a 63-52 second round WNIT back on March 24, 2014. The Scarlet Knights would ultimately take home the 2014 WNIT Postseason trophy four games later.
With a 32-31 Crimson edge early in the second half, the Scarlet Knights responded with a 14-2 run and took over the lead for good. Copper fueled eight of the run's 14 points as RU led 45-34 at the midway point of the second stanza. Harvard pulled no closer than six, 46-40, with 7:45 remaining, and in the game's final minutes Rutgers pushed its advantage back up to as many as 12.
Copper collected her fourth double-double of the year in the victory and was joined by junior Betnijah Laney in double digits. Laney shot 6-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe for 17 points on the night.
In all, the Scarlet Knights took advantage of 20 Harvard turnovers resulting in 21 points.
Syessence Davis and Briyona Canty combined for 13 of RU's 15 assists, with Davis dishing out a season-high eight helpers.
WELCOME HOME ICE
Rutgers Assistant AD - Basketball Operations, Michelle Edwards, returns to her old stomping grounds when RU visits Harvard this weekend.
The Boston, native a former collegiate national player of the year, international all-star, WNBA franchise player and 2014 inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, begins her 16th season on the Rutgers staff.
A native of Boston, Mass., Edwards played for Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer at the University of Iowa from 1984-88. Following a freshman season in which she helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 20-8 record, Edwards piloted UI to back-to-back NCAA Tournament regional final appearances (1987, 1988) and a No. 1 national ranking.
As a senior, Edwards - nicknamed `Ice' for her ability to hit the clutch shot - was selected the Big Ten Player of the Year, a Kodak, Naismith and USBWA All-American and the Champion National Player of the Year.
A 2000 Iowa Hall of Fame inductee, she is the only female Hawkeye to have her jersey retired. She posted career totals that still rank in the top-three more than twenty years later, having scored 1,821 points (third all-time), 431 assists (second) and 235 steals (third). Edwards was selected as one of Iowa's "Top 50 Athletes of the Century" as well as the Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Decade in 1989.
Edwards, who won a bronze medal at the 1991 Pan-American Games under Stringer's tutelage, played professionally in Italy from 1988-97. She earned three Italian League All-Star Game MVP awards during her stay. Edwards returned to the States when the WNBA was formed and was the second allocation from the original group of 16 "franchise" players. Edwards played a total of five seasons (1997-2001) for the Cleveland Rockers and Seattle Storm, averaging 7.6 points and 2.8 assists per game.
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that is currently 8-1 overall with a victory over then No. 12/13 South Carolina to take third place at the Vancouver Showcase. Entering the week, the Bulldogs check in at No. 21 in both polls.
Gonzaga, meanwhile, broke into the Top 25 this week at No. 24 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll following a 79-73 win over No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 8-1 on the season with the lone loss coming against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge.
Virginia Tech remains undefeated at 9-0 with votes in both major polls.
All together, the three teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 25-2 on the 2018-19 season.
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 1002-405 career record now in her 48th season of coaching and joined the elite 1,000 career victory club on November 13 in the Scarlet Knight victory over Central Connecticut State.
Stringer is the sixth NCAA women's basketball coach and fifth NCAA Division I women's basketball coach to reach the milestone victory.
In 2013, Stringer became just the seventh coach - men's or women's - to reach the 900-win mark.
Stringer's 35 20-win seasons are second-best in women's basketball history. Former Tennessee head coach Pat Summit leads all coaches with 36 20-win seasons.
The Naismith and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Coach is the fifth active winningest Division I coach and sixth all-time in career wins in NCAA women's basketball history.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the first eight games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in five categories.
The Scarlet Knights are among the top teams in the nation denying shots checking in this week fifth nationally in blocks (53) and sixth in blocks per game (6.6). Additionally RU is eighth in field goal percentage defense (.318) and 13th in scoring defense (52.4).
Rutgers who set a school record in rebounds in the season opener against St. Francis (Pa.) are 20th in the country in rebound margin (10.9).
Individually, Stasha Carey is currently 20th in blocked shots with 17 total rejections.
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - .318
Rebounding Defense - 1st - 29.5
Blocked Shots - 1st - 6.8
Steals - 2nd - 9.8
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Stasha Carey - 5th - Blocks - 2.1
Victoria Harris - 6th - Steals - 1.9
Caitlin Jenkins - 11th - Rebounding - 8.7
Mael Gilles - 12th - Blocks - 1.3
Charise Wilson - 12th - Ast/TO Ratio - 1.5 / 13th - Assists - 3.9
D-D-D-DEFENSE
The defense turned up the pressure last season leading the Big Ten in scoring defense holding opponents to just 59.3 points per game.
Twenty-nine of RU's 32 opponents were held under their scoring average.
| Avg. Total Points Entering Game |
Total Points vs. Rutgers |
|
| JMU | 70.2 | 63 |
| Temple | 96.0 | 67 |
| Charlotte | 70.5 | 54 |
| Wake Forest | 71.7 | 51 |
| South Carolina | 88.2 | 78 |
| Washington St. | 69.7 | 64 |
| Siena | 67.3 | 63 |
| NC State | 71.9 | 53 |
| Virginia | 63.2 | 43 |
| Seton Hall | 81.1 | 45 |
| FDU | 63.0 | 35 |
| Princeton | 65.8 | 50 |
| Houston | 73.9 | 57 |
| Purdue | 68.8 | 50 |
| Michigan State | 79.6 | 58 |
| Illinois | 64.8 | 37 |
| Penn State | 70.4 | 65 |
| Purdue | 66.1 | 47 |
| Minnesota | 86.2 | 70 |
| Penn State | 70.1 | 70 |
| Nebraska | 70.9 | 52 |
| Indiana | 68.2 | 64 |
| Maryland | 85.1 | 88 |
| Michigan | 77.1 | 56 |
| Ohio State | 85.7 | 90 |
| Maryland | 84.0 | 72 |
| Wisconsin | 60.9 | 50 |
| Iowa | 79.7 | 77 |
| Northwestern | 62.1 | 63 |
| Purdue (B1G) | 66.3 | 60 |
| Ohio State (B1G) | 85.3 | 82 |
So far in 2018-19, the trend has held steady with all four opponents under their scoring average.
| Avg. Total Points Entering Game |
Total Points vs. Rutgers |
|
| St. Francis (Pa) | 80.9 | 52 |
| Stony Brook | 62.6 | 47 |
| CCSU | 62.5 | 44 |
| Albany | 43.7 | 39 |
| Drake | 82.5 | 69 |
| Gonzaga | 68.8 | 57 |
| ETSU | 61.7 | 44 |
| Va. Tech | 78.3 | 67 |
UP NEXT
RU will have a week to get ready for its next game, a tilt with LSU. The Scarlet Knights and Tigers tipoff on Saturday, Dec. 15 on BTN with Mike Monaco and Christy Winters-Scott on the call.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball at www.ScarletKnights.com and (@RutgersWBB) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates. For additional updates, download the Rutgers Gameday App.
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