Box Score PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Rutgers women's basketball team (7-10, 1-4 B1G) defeated RV Nebraska on Saturday at Jersey Mike's Arena, 57-45.
Kaylene Smikle led the way once again with 20 points, her 13th double digit scoring performance of the campaign. The freshman also added six rebounds and four steals.
The Scarlet Knights were strong off the glass, outrebounding the Cornhuskers 46-35. Chyna Cornwell led the team with 12 rebounds, her eighth double figure effort of the slate.
The 12-point decision marks the first Big Ten victory for head coach Coquese Washington since taking the helm of the Scarlet Knights in May.
"I have seen [so much improvement] over the course of the season," Washington said. "For us it's not coach speak, it's continuing to get better every day and we are a team that doesn't have any continuity from last year. It has taken a while for us to get into our rhyme and figure out who we can be. This is a big step today to be able to get over the hump and actually play well for four quarters. We wanted tonight to come out and have a great first quarter and we did that and I think that set the tone and gave us the confidence to finish it off."
The first conference win of the season also came on Theresa Grentz Day, as Rutgers welcomed back the legendary former RU head coach as well as the 1982 AIAW National Championship team and other letterwinners.
"We were happy to be able to have this day and able to honor Theresa Grentz and celebrate her accomplishments here at Rutgers," Washington added. "She is just a tremendous person and a tremendous role model. She has meant so much to the game of women's basketball and to be able to celebrate her today was special. I'm glad the team came out and gave her a performance that she could be proud of."
How it Happened
- Nebraska struck first to get in front early, 2-0. It wasn't long before Rutgers overtook the edge however, with a three-point play from Erica Lafayette.
- The Cornhuskers answered with a layup to regain the slight 4-3 advantage and keep the Scarlet Knights scoreless for over three minutes. However, RU kept the pressure on defense, forcing three turnovers in the span.
- Cornwell ended the drought to put RU back on top, 5-4 at the 4:11 media timeout.
- Out of the stop, Rutgers went on a 6-1 run to stay in front, 10-5 with just over a minute to play. Carter highlighted the run with a big steal and layup to give her team momentum.
- To end the opening quarter, RU held Nebraska to 0-of-7 from the field and no points for the final 2:17 of the period. The Scarlet Knights, in turn, took the five-point lead into the second 10-minute span.
- Cornwell opened scoring in the second quarter to build on her team's lead. Smikle piled on to give Rutgers the nine-point edge.
- Nebraska continued their scoring drought until 5:58 of the second quarter. The Cornhuskers then hit two consecutive shots to close the gap to five points and force an RU timeout.
- Out of the stop, Rutgers and Nebraska traded buckets to keep the five-point difference. The Cornhuskers stayed aggressive on offense, getting to a one-point difference at the 3:18 mark.
- The two teams continued to go possession for possession until Rutgers broke away, ending the first half on a 6-0 run, thanks to three-pointers from Smikle and Antonia Bates, to take the 30-20 advantage into halftime.
- The Cornhuskers came out hot to start the second half with two buckets in under a minute. Cornwell netted a second-chance layup to make the score 32-24.
- Nebraska's defense hung tough, forcing multiple turnovers in the first half of the third period. The opposition got the score within six points at the 5:00 mark of the quarter.
- RU netted five unanswered points out of the break to get back to a double-digit lead of 11, 39-28. Nebraska went 0-for-7 from the floor in the span.
- Rutgers entered the third with a 45-31 lead.
- Carter got things going in the fourth with a three-pointer and a layup to keep the Scarlet Knights in front, 50-33.
- The teams went onto trade points until Nebraska capitalized on an eight-point stretch to put the game back within 11 points, 54-43. During the run, the Cornhuskers hit their first and only two three-pointers of the contest, missing their first 21 attempts.
- The final three minutes were low-scoring, as RU netted three points to the opponent's two, to come out on top 57-45.
Gallery: (1-7-2023) Rutgers WBB vs. Nebraska
Knights Notes
- With 20 points against Nebraska, Smikle has now reached 20+ points seven times this season. Smikle is the only Scarlet Knight to pass the 20-point milestone this season. She also paces the team with 13 double-digit outings.
- Smikle made three three-pointers on Saturday, continuing her streak of making at least one three-pointer in every game this season. She has cashed in on two or more shots from deep in the last six outings.
- The Scarlet Knight's 11 team assists marked their 12th double-digit performance game this season. With five helpers, Awa Sidibe has now led the team in the statistic11 times and dishes 5+ dimes on five occasions.
- Rutgers held Nebraska to eight percent (2-of-25) from beyond the arc. The opposition missed their first 21 attempts, only hitting their first three-pointer at the 4:46 mark of the fourth period.
- Nebraska's 45 points ties the lowest amount allowed in a single game this season as the team also held North Carolina Central (Nov. 16) to the low.
- Saturday's decision marks the first time in the 2022-23 season that RU has defeated a team mentioned in the AP Top-25 poll, as Nebraska is currently receiving votes.
- Cornwell's 12 rebounds mark the sixth time this season she has collected double-digit boards. She has led the Scarlet Knights off the boards in 11 of 17 contests.
- The Scarlet Knights outrebounded their opponent for the ninth time this season, accumulated 11 more boards than the Cornhuskers on Saturday.
- Rutgers outscored Nebraska in every quarter of play besides the final 10 minutes.
Volume Up
Next Up
Rutgers will travel to Minnesota to take on the Gophers on Jan. 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The contest will be the third consecutive broadcast live on the Big Ten Network for the Scarlet Knights.
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