PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers women's basketball will begin the 2021-22 season receiving votes in the USA TODAY Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll.
 
The Scarlet Knights are receiving 17 points, seven spots outside of the preseason Top 25. RU last appeared in the USA TODAY Sports/WBCA Coaches Poll last season at No. 23 near the end of the 2020-21 season, when the Scarlet Knights won nine consecutive Big Ten games to conclude the regular season in third place in the conference for the second time in three seasons. It marked the longest conference winning streak for Rutgers since the undefeated 16-0 Big East year in 2004-05.
 
Redshirt junior center Tyia Singleton returns from that squad to lead a young group of returners that includes four rising sophomores that played their first season in an untraditional pandemic-affected year. Singleton led the entire 2020-21 group with 6.8 rebounds per game, ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 1.4 blocks per game, and increased her year-over-year scoring a full 5.0 points per contest.
 
The Scarlet Knights benefited from the transfer portal with the additions of Osh Brown (Ball State), Lasha Petree (Bradley), Jailyn Mason (Arkansas), Sayawni Lassiter (Florida State), Shug Dickson (Mizzou), and Victoria Morris (Old Dominion). RU also added junior college transfer Awa Sidibe, a two-time JUCO All-American guard.
 
Brown, a graduate student, is set to start the season as the NCAA Division I active career leader in rebounds with 1,106 and in double-doubles with 49. Brown ranked second in the nation last season with 9.5 defensive rebounds per game, and seventh with 16 double-doubles.
 
Petree, a 2020-21 Preseason Naismith Award Watch List honoree as a junior, earned two consecutive First Team All-Mountain Valley Conference accolades, and comes to Rutgers as a senior with 1,398 career points in three seasons.

The Rutgers staff also signed freshman Kierra Sanderlin, a Texas All-State and Who's Next All-America guard with more than 1,400 points in the Lonestar State's largest conference.
 
Rutgers tips off the 2021-22 season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 against St. Peter's at 7 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena. Season and single-game ticket packages are available.
 
 
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