Rutgers University
Cornell
Women's Basketball Returns Home to Meet Cornell
Nov 26 | Women's Basketball
PISCATWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team (3-4) will return home to face nonconference foe Cornell on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m.
On the Call
- Watch on B1G+ (Play-by-play: Dom Savino; Analyst: Dominque Patrick)
- Listen on Fox Sports New Jersey 1450 AM / 93.5 FM (Play-by-play: Ralph Bednarczyk; Analyst: Mark Peterson)
- Listen on WRSU 88.7 FM
Last Time Out
Rutgers kept it close through the first half but fell to No. 19/5 Texas in the final round of Battle4Atlantis, 82-44 on Monday night.
Freshman Kaylene Smikle led scoring for the Scarlet Knights with nine points while Chyan Cornwell paced the team with eight rebounds.
Strong Off the Boards
In all three wins for Rutgers this season, Rutgers has secured more rebounds than its opposition.
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in six of seven outings, 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 7.7 rebounds per game.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
RU will meet 10 teams mentioned between the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls, including six Big Ten and four nonconference opponents:
- No. 4/6 Ohio State*
- No. 6/5 Indiana*
- No. 9/8 Iowa*
- No. 14/17 Maryland*
- No. 19/16 Texas#
- No. 22/23 Michigan*
- No. 23/24 Tennessee#
- RV/RV Nebraska*
- RV/RV South Dakota State#
- RV/RV Princeton
*Big Ten contest
# Battle4Atlantis
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 Cornell
Sunday's meeting will be the first-ever between Rutgers and Cornell.
Scouting The Big Red
After starting out 0-2 on the season with losses to Colgate (48-62) and Fairleigh Dickinson (51-62), Cornell has won its two most recent outings against both Mount St. Mary's (66-61) and Western Kentucky (57-50).
Ania McNicholas and Shannon Mulroy pace the team with 9.2 points per game each. Summer Parker-Hall paces the team averaging 7.0 boards.
Big Red finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 9-16 overall record including a 4-10 mark in the Ivy League.
Next Up
Rutgers will hit the road to face Boston College on Wednesday, Nov. 30 for a 7 p.m. contest before returning to Jersey Mike's Arena to celebrate C. Vivian Stringer against Ohio State in the Big Ten opener on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 12 p.m.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RutgersWBB) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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