PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS – The Rutgers women's basketball team (3-1) will face No. 11/12 Tennessee (1-2) in the opening game of the Battle4Atlantis Tournament at 12 p.m. ET.
The contest, set to take place at Imperial Arena at Paradise Island, Bahamas, will be the first of three games the team will play from Nov. 19-21.
On the Call
- The games will be streamed on FloHoops with the exception of the Championship game (ESPN) and the third place contest (ESPNU).
- Jill Painter Lopez (PxP) and Isis Young (Analyst) will be on the call in addition to Dani Wexelman (Reporter).
Last Time Out
The Scarlet Knights jumped out to an early lead and didn't look back, defeating NC Central (1-3), 66-45, on Nov. 16, completing a four-game home stand.
RU held onto the lead for the entire contest, getting out to their biggest advantage of 21 points in the fourth quarter. The Eagle's rallied in the second half, but, Awa Sidibe's 18 points and six assists, both career highs, were too much to handle.
Seven players scored in another balanced effort by Rutgers, with three players in double figures. In addition to Sidibe game-high 18 points, freshman Kaylene Smikle provided her second consecutive +10- point performance, recording 12 points and eight rebounds while Erica Lafayette added 12 points.
Rutgers took advantage of NCC ball handling, scoring 26 points off their turnovers. The Scarlet Knight also added 16 steals in the win.
Battle4Atlantis
This will be Rutgers first trip to the Bahamas since 2019 when the team defeated Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech to win the Junkanoo Jam Championship. This will be the team's first trip to Battle4Atlantis.
In addition to Tennessee, UCLA, South Dakota State, Louisville, Gonzaga, Texas and Marquette will also be participating in the three-day tournament.
Doubling Up
Three or more Scarlet Knights have reached double-digit scoring in every game so far this season. Awa Sidibe and Erica Lafayette have led the charge, reaching 10+ points in all four contests. RU is 2-0 this season when five or more players reach double figures.
In addition against Seton Hall (Nov. 11), Sidibe (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Cornwell (10 points, 10 rebounds) both recorded their first double-doubles of their career.
Strong Off the Boards
In all three wins for Rutgers this season, Rutgers has secured more rebounds than its opposition.
The team has recorded 36+ rebounds in every outing, including a season-high 50 against NJIT (Nov. 13). The team also earned its highest rebounding margin against the Highlanders, +20.
Chyna Cornwell leads the Scarlet Knights off the boards, with 8.5 rebounds per game.
Coaching Connection
Assistant Coach Nikki McCray-Penson will face her Alma Mater in Tennessee, where she graduated from in 1995.
During her collegiate career with the Lady Vols, McCray-Penson spearheaded legendary coach Pat Summitt's teams to four NCAA Tournament appearances. The two-time All-American garnered SEC Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior, one of just three Lady Vols to ever win the yearly award twice.
She helped lead Tennessee to the Final Four in 1995 and earned NCAA All-Final Four Team honors. McCray-Penson was named Best Defensive Player for Tennessee each of her four years between 1992 and 1995 and helped the Lady Vols to a 122-11 record during her career.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
With the release of the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Preseason Polls, RU is set to face seven teams ranked between the two rankings, including six Big Ten and three nonconference opponents:
- No. 4/6 Iowa*
- No. 8/10 Ohio State*
- No. 11/12 Tennessee
- No. 12/9 Indiana*
- No. 19/21 Maryland*
- No. 22/22 Nebraska*
- No. 23/23 Michigan*
*Big Ten contest
Future opponent Princeton is also mentioned in the poll collecting four votes.
A bonus five opponents that Rutgers could meet in the Battle4Atlantis Tournament include No. 3/5 Texas and No. 6/4 Louisville. South Dakota State, UCLA and Gonzaga are also receiving votes.
UCLA (31), South Dakota State (15) and Gonzaga (5) who are part of the Battle4Atlantis Tournament field are also receiving votes.
Staying Home
The Scarlet Knights will compete in 12 nonconference games this season before jumping into Big Ten play.
Of the 12 games, RU will play eight at their home court of Jersey Mike's Arena, including the first four. The only time the team will leave "On The Banks" will be for three games at the Battle4Atlantis Tournament, held in Paradise Island, Bahamas and to face Boston College for the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Washington Returns to the Big Ten
The Washington era at Rutgers signals the head coach's return to the Big Ten, after serving as the head coach at Penn State for 12 seasons. From 2012-14, the Lady Lions claimed three consecutive Big Ten regular-season titles, becoming one of four programs in conference history to win three or more regular-season crowns in a row. She guided Penn State to two Sweet 16 appearances in 2012 and 2014 while developing 17 players to All-Big Ten status on 32 separate occasions.
Washington earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors three times (2012-14), WBCA Regional Coach of the Year twice (2012, 2013), and was named a finalist for WBCA National Coach of the Year two times (2012, 2013). She was also selected as the 2011 and 2014 Black Coaches Association (BCA) Female Coach of the Year.
Successful Staff
Washington won't be the only new face on the sidelines this season as she named Tasha Pointer, Nikki McCray-Penson and John Hampton assistant coaches during the offseason.
Pointer returns "On The Banks," bringing 18 total years of coaching experience, including eight seasons on the sidelines with the Scarlet Knights from 2007-15. As a player from 1997-2001, Pointer led Rutgers to the 2000 Final Four, the hallmark of a 128-game career that produced program-record totals of 839 assists and 292 steals while scoring 1,456 points. Pointer was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, which was also her first year on the coaching staff that guided the Scarlet Knights to an NCAA Elite Eight, a Sweet 16, and a WNIT Championship during seven overall trips to the postseason.
McCray-Penson comes to Piscataway, New Jersey with 15 years of college coaching experience, most recently as a head coach at Mississippi State and Old Dominion, which followed a standout college playing career at Tennessee, nine seasons in the WNBA and two gold-medal winning performances with Team USA at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.
Hampton, the former head coach at Clarkson University, has spent the last seven seasons at St. Joseph's, including the last three as the Hawks' assistant head coach. At St. Joe's, Hampton helped lead the Hawks to the postseason twice, an Atlantic 10 Tournament title game, a Hawk Classic crown, and a WNIT victory. Hampton graduated from Mansfield University in 2008, where he joined the men's basketball program as a walk-on and went on to earn the team's MVP twice in 2007 and 2008. He was selected as a PSAC All-Conference honoree as a senior.
Scarlet Knights on the Big Screen
The Scarlet Knights are set for eight appearances between the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1.
- vs. Ohio State – Dec. 4 – 12 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. New Orleans – Dec. 18 – 2 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Maryland – Jan. 2 – 2 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Nebraska – Jan. 7 – 2 p.m. (BTN)
- at Minnesota – Jan. 12 – 8:30 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Michigan – Jan. 19 – 8:30 p.m. (BTN)
- at Iowa – Feb. 12 – 3 p.m. (FS1)
- at Wisconsin – Feb. 20 – 8 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Illinois – Feb. 26 – 2 p.m. *Could be flexed to B1G+
The entire Big Ten Tournament run will also be broadcast nationally.
The remaining 11 home games on the schedule not set to air on TV will be streamed on Big Ten+.
History Against Tennessee
This will be the 24th meeting between Rutgers and Tennessee. The two teams last met in 2014, and UT has picked up wins in the past 10 outings.
Scouting the Lady Vols
After entering the season ranked No. 4/4 in the nation, Tennessee has dropped to No. 11/12 after losses to No. 14/15 Ohio State (75-87) and No. 12/11 Indiana (67-79). The team picked up its only win of the season over UMass (74-65).
The Lady Vols return a stout roster including four starts and six All-League players.
Next Up
Rutgers will play their second game in the Battle4Atlantis Tournament in either game five (12 p.m.) or seven (5 p.m.).
Follow Along
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