Rutgers University
Princeton
Women's Basketball Welcomes Princeton for Thursday Night Game
Dec 14 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Rutgers women's basketball team (5-7, 0-2 B1G) will welcome in-state rival Princeton (6-3, 0-0 Ivy) to Jersey Mike's Arena on Thursday, Dec. 15 for a 7 p.m. contest.
Last Time Out
defeated Hampton (3-5), 76-68, on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Scarlet Knights effort was led by Chyna Cornwell, who recorded her fourth double-double of the season (18 points, 14 rebounds) and second in a row.
Chyna Cornwell: a double-double machine 🤖#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/RPM5A1utDo
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 10, 2022
The Scarlet Knights jumped out to an early lead, taking a three-point edge into the half. Despite controlling the first half, Hampton refused to back down, as the team rallied to secure its first lead of the game midway through the third quarter.
The second half surge from the Lady Pirates only fueled Rutgers, as the Scarlet Knights used a 9-0 run to put them up by six entering the fourth.
Rutgers used a full team effort to help secure the victory. For the fourth time this season, every Scarlet Knight found the basket. Erica Lafayette scored a career-high 19 points, while also adding four assists and four rebounds. All of the junior's points came in the second half, marking the highest scoring half by a Scarlet Knight this season.
HER. #GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/alLY0nNXUH
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 11, 2022
Doubling Up
Chyna Cornwell has burst onto the floor this season for the Scarlet Knights as a huge presence in the post.
She leads the team with four double-doubles including back-to-back outings agains Illinois (Dec. 7) and Hampton (Dec. 10):
- vs. Seton Hall – 10 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Cornell – 11 points, 16 rebounds
- at Illinois – 10 points, 11 rebounds
- vs. Hampton – 18 points, 14 rebounds
Cornwell is currently tied with three other players to lead the Big Ten in the statistic.
First Year Phenom
Just 12 contests into the season, freshman Kaylene Smikle has made a big impact for the Scarlet Knights.
Smikle paces the team with 14.3 points per game in addition to averaging 21.5 points in Big Ten play. She is the only Scarlet Knight to net 20+ points in a game, accomplishing the feat off the bench four times in the last seven outings. She scored 22 against South Dakota State (Nov. 20), a career-best 23 against Cornell (Nov. 27), 21 against Ohio State (Dec. 4) and 22 at Illinois (Dec. 7). The freshman has reached double-digit scoring in eight outings this campaign, including eight of the last 10 games.
The Farmingdale, New York product has also been solid from beyond the arc. Her 20 three-pointers lead the Scarlet Knights while her five three's against South Dakota State rank as the highest performance in a single game this season for RU. She has hit at least one three-pointer in every contest this slate and hit three or more in three outings.
Strong Off the Boards
In all five wins for Rutgers this season, Rutgers has secured more rebounds than its opposition.
The team has recorded 30+ rebounds in 11 of 12 outings, including a season-high 53 against Cornell (Nov. 27). The team also earned its highest rebounding margin against the Big Red, +23.
Chyna Cornwell leads the Scarlet Knights off the boards, with 9.0 rebounds per game to rank third in the Big Ten. Her 16 rebounds against Cornell also measures up as the second-best single game performance this season.
Cornwell also paces the league with 108 total rebounds and 3.9 offensive boards per game.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
RU will meet eight teams mentioned between the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls, including six Big Ten and two nonconference opponents:
- No. 3/4 Ohio State*
- No. 4/3 Indiana*
- No. 12/13 Iowa*
- No. 15/21 Maryland*
- No. RV/RV Texas#
- No. 19/16 Michigan*
- RV/RV Nebraska*
- NR/RV South Dakota State
*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 Princeton
Rutgers leads Princeton in the all-time series, 17-3.
After going on a 14-game win streak from 1977 to 2010, the Scarlet Knights dropped a 55-71 decision to the Tigers on Nov. 29, 2012. Since then, the two teams have traded outcomes with RU coming out on top in the most recent meeting on Dec. 13, 2017, 70-50.
Scouting The Tigers
Princeton has struggled to find a rhythm this season, winning no more than two consecutive games. The Tigers defeated Maine (65-52) and Towson (71-54) in its most recent streak before falling to No. 6 UCONN in a close 69-64 decision.
Princeton defeated Delaware at home in its most recent outing, 62-47.
Kaitlyn Chen (14.6), Julia Cunningham (12.7) and Grace Stone (11.4) paces the team, all averaging double-digit points per game. Ellie Mitchell paces the team off the glass with 12.7 rebounds per contest.
Next Up
Rutgers will welcome New Orleans on Sunday, Dec. 18 for a 2 p.m. contest to finish out nonconference play. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and will celebrate the Holiday Season at Jersey Mike's Arena.
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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