PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 B1G) will end its three-game homestand against Auburn (2-0, 0-0 SEC) on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. The contest will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network, but you can listen live on Fox Sports New Jersey 1450 AM / 93.5 FM or WRSU.
Nikki McCray-Penson Day
During Sunday's game against the War Eagles, the Scarlet Knights will celebrate the life of former assistant coach Nikki McCray-Penson. The team will honor who McCray-Penson was on and off the court and the immeasurable impact she made on the game of basketball and those around her. The Scarlet Knights also encourages fans to donate to a college fund for McCray-Penson's son, Thomas, by using the link here.
Earlier this season, the team traveled to South Carolina to play an exhibition game against the Gamecocks, where both teams celebrated McCray-Penson and the undisputed mark she left on both programs.
As a player, McCray-Penson was a two-time All-American and three-time All-SEC selection at Tennessee. After graduating in 1995, she played in the American Basketball League (ABL), earning MVP honors after leading the Columbus Quest to the 1997 ABL Championship. McCray-Penson moved to the WNBA for eight seasons across five different teams, earning All-Star status three times. On the international stage, she was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, during which she teamed with South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.
Following the playing career that earned her a spot in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, McCray-Penson turned to coaching, serving as an assistant at Western Kentucky (2006-08) before joining Staley's staff at South Carolina (2008-17) where she helped the Gamecocks become a national power, culminating in the 2017 National Championship. Her success at South Carolina helped propel her into her first head coach job, leading Old Dominion (2017-20) and then Mississippi State (2020-21) before she had to step down due to health reasons.
After a season away from the game, McCray-Penson came back to the sidelines with Washington at Rutgers. While "On The Banks" McCray-Penson helped the Scarlet Knights set a solid foundation for the team. She guided the program to its 1,000th win in program history. She also helped to guide freshman guard Kaylene Smikle to greatness, as she was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team (Media & Coaches) and the Big Ten All-Freshman team (Media & Coaches). McCray-Penson also helped Smikle become Rutgers' all-time leading freshman scorer.
Last Time Out
Rutgers shined on both ends of the floor to down Wagner (0-1, 0-0 NEC), 86-43, on Thursday night at Jersey Mike's Arena. Kaylene Smikle and Destiny Adams recorded double-doubles to lead the Scarlet Knights to victory.
Smikle earned her first-career double-double in the game, scoring 20 points and grabbing a career-best 11 rebounds. Twelve of the sophomore's 20 points came at the free throw line, as she shot a strong 85 percent (12-of-14).
For the second contest in a row, Destiny Adams secured a double-double in the third quarter. The junior transfer totaled 17 points and 12 rebounds in the contest.
Chyna Cornwell also had a big game for the Scarlet Knights, recording 15 points and eight rebounds.
The game began with an explosive quarter from RU on both the offensive and defensive ends. The Scarlet Knights held Wagner to just four points in the first frame, forcing the Seahawks to turn the ball over eight times. Rutgers in turn recorded 13 of its 21 points of the first 10 minutes off the turns.
The second quarter saw more of the same from the Scarlet Knights, as the team continued turning defense into offense. RU went on respective 12 and 13-point runs in the second, holding Wagner to its second-straight quarter single digits scoring, allowing just nine points.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with the Scarlet Knights holding strong in their lead over the Seahawks. Rutgers outscored Wagner, 38-30, in the half, with Smikle's 11 points leading the way.
As a team, RU collected 55 rebounds, 21 assists, 12 steals, and nine blocks in its all-around performance.
It's Destiny
Destiny Adams continues to make her presence known on the court for the Scarlet Knights, showing off a powerful and versatile style of play.
With back-to-back doubles-doubles in her first two games, she is just one of seven players in the nation to accomplish the feat and one of two in the Big Ten.
With 29 rebounds through two outings, Adams currently paces the nation. She also sits second in the Big Ten with 14.5 rebounds per game and third with 9.5 defensive boards per game.
On the other side of the floor, the Manchester, New Jersey native ranks fourth in the conference with 30 points so far.
Strong Off the Boards
The Scarlet Knights are picking up where they left off last season with a strong presence on the boards.
In the season opener against Monmouth (Nov. 6), RU already matched its single-game high for rebounds with 53. The against Wagner (Nov. 9) the squad followed up with another strong night, grabbing 55 rebounds off the glass.
Rutgers has had at least two players reach 10+ rebounds in both contests so far in the 2023-24 campaign. With 54 rebounds per outing, RU currently ranks second in the Big Ten.
2022-23 Season recap
In a season of discovery, Coquese Washington set a solid foundation for Rutgers in her first season at the helm during the 2022-23 campaign. She led RU to a 12-20 overall record including five Big Ten wins.
Washington guided the Scarlet Knights to their 1,000th win in program history with a road victory over Minnesota (Jan. 12), becoming just the 22nd Division I team and the third squad in the Big Ten to reach the milestone. In the same game against the Gophers, Washington also picked up her 100th Big Ten win.
Washington helped guide freshman guard Kaylene Smikle to greatness, as she was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team (Media & Coaches) and the Big Ten All-Freshman team (Media & Coaches). The guard also collected three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, the most in program history. Under Washington's direction, Smikle became Rutgers' all-time leading freshman scorer, ending the season with 573 points to best the previous high of 536 points. She is the third freshman in program history to amass 500+ points.
Chyna Cornwell also achieved greatness as she was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media) as well as earning the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. In a breakout season, Cornwell paced RU with nine double-doubles, including four in Big Ten play. Her 16 rebounds against Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament set the new Big Ten Tournament program high, which was set in 2015 by current WNBA superstar Betnijah Laney. The Conover, North Carolina native led the team with 274 total rebounds to rank third in the Big Ten in addition to 105 offensive boards to finish second in the league.
50 Seasons
The Rutgers women's basketball team will celebrate its 50th season in program history during the 2023-24 campaign. Since the first season in 1974, the Scarlet Knights have proved they are a nationally elite program. The program has made 26 NCAA Tournament appearances in addition to four Sweet Sixteens, five Elite Eights, two Final Fours and one National Championship game.
The Scarlet Knights will honor their rich tradition "On The Banks" throughout the season with various special promotions.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
Rutgers is currently slated to face six opponents currently ranked in the AP/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls.
- No. 3/3 Iowa*
- No. 7/6 Ohio State*
- No. 8/5 Virginia Tech
- No. 9/9 Indiana*
- No. 14/11 Maryland*
- No. 23/RV Illinois*
*Big Ten contest
Nebraska is also receiving votes in both polls while Princeton is receiving votes in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll.
Home Sweet Home
RU will compete in 13 nonconference games this season before jumping into Big Ten play on Saturday, Dec. 9 against Indiana. Of the 13 games, Rutgers will play nine at their home court of Jersey Mike's Arena.
The only time the team will leave the Banks will be to travel to in-state rivals Seton Hall (Nov. 15) and Princeton (Dec. 13) in addition to the South Point Classis to face Texas Tech (Nov. 24) and Boise State (Nov. 25) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Successful Staff
Along with Washington, assistant coaches Tasha Pointer and John Hampton will also be returning to the sidelines this season for the Scarlet Knights. There will also be some new faces as well, with the additions of Nneka Enemkpali and Jeanine Wasielewski to the staff.
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.
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.
Enemkpali comes to Piscataway after two seasons at Southern California where she also served as the Recruiting Coordinator. While with the Trojans, Enemkpali led efforts to sign the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 class. She also helped USC make strides on the court as she coached the 29th overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, Kadi Sissoko, to all All-Pac 12 honors. In addition, Enemkpali guided Rayah Marshall to All-PAC 12 and All-Defense honors as a sophomore. She went on to be selected to represent USA at the 2023 Americup games. Enemkpali is a 2015 graduate of Texas, where she earned three All-Big 12 selections and finished ranked No. 10 all-time in career rebounds (899) and No. 30 in career points (1,116).
Prior to joining the Scarlet Knights, Wasielewski was most recently the head coach at Southwestern Michigan College. She led the revival of the women's basketball program there, after a 25-year hiatus. In the program's first season back to competition in 2022-23, she recruited and coached a team of all freshmen to an 18-9 overall record, a 13-1 record on their home court and a third-place finish in conference that earned the squad a postseason tournament bid. She also spent time at Saint Francis (PA), Penn State under Washington, Loyola Chicago and MSU Denver. During her own collegiate player career, Wasielewski was a four-year letter winner at Northwestern University. She was a key contributor on the 1990 Big Ten Championship team, participated and advanced in two NCAA Tournaments and posted back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Returning to The Banks
The Scarlet Knights return six big contributors from last season including, Kaylene Smikle, Antonia Bates, Awa Sidibe, Erica Lafayette, Kassondra Brown and Chyna Cornwell.
The group combined for 1,684 points and Smikle, Cornwell, Sidibe and Brown were the top four scorers during the 2022-23 campaign. The same group were the top-four rebounders last season as well, combing for 747 boards.
Transferring In
Rutgers welcomed two transfers in the offseason in junior Destiny Adams from UNC and sophomore Mya Petticord from Texas A&M.
Last season at UNC, Adams played in all 33 games and made four starts, while averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game. She ranked 16th in the ACC in steals (1.5 per game) and 23rd in blocks (0.8 per game), both second on the team. A graduate of Manchester Township High School, Adams was the 2020-21 Gatorade New Jersey Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She was also named to the Jordan Brand Classic 2021 Girls National Team and the 2021 McDonald's All-American Girls Team. In addition, Adams was ranked 20th in the ESPNW Class of 2021. rankings
For the Aggies last season, Petticord appeared in 21 games season and made one start. She averaged just over 15 minutes of playing time per outing. Petticord was a four-star recruit and No. 81-ranked prospect according to ESPNW in the 2022 class. She led her team to the 2022 Division III State Title and was named the Michigan Associated Press Division III Player of the Year.
Featuring Freshman
RU also brought in three freshmen to join the team this upcoming campaign, with the addition of Jillian Huerter, Lisa Thompson and Kennedy Brandt.
Prior to the 2021-22 season, Huerter went to Shenendehowa High School where she helped guide her team back-to-back two Section 2 Championships (2019 & 2020) as well as a Suburban Council Championship in 2021. While at Shenendehowa, she also averaged 15.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists before going into her final year of high school ball at the Kent School.
Thompson led her team at Example Academy to the 2023 Independent National Championship. Prior to her time at Example Academy, Thompson attended Joliet West High School, where she also guided her squad to three consecutive conference championships her first three seasons. She was named a McDonald's All-American Nominee as well as earning an invite to the USA Women's U17 World Cup Team Trials.
Brandt graduated from Glenbard West High School. She averaged 15 points, five rebounds and three assists per game and was selected as the Glenbard West Female Athlete of the Year. She was also a two-time All-Area and All-Conference pick as well as an All-State selection.
Scarlet Knights on the Big Screen
Rutgers will appear on national television seven times this season with six scheduled contests on the Big Ten Network and one on Fox Sports 1.
- vs. Auburn – Saturday, Nov. 12 – 5 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Indiana – Saturday, Dec. 9 – 4 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Virginia Tech – Sunday, Dec. 17 – 5:30 p.m. (FS1)
- vs. Iowa – Friday, Dec. 5 – 6 p.m. (BTN)
- at Ohio State – Thursday, Jan. 11 – 6 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Maryland – Tuesday, Feb. 6 – 8:30 p.m. (BTN)
- vs. Minnesota – Tuesday, Feb. 13 – 7 p.m. (BTN)
Theme Games
Rutgers will celebrate multiple theme games throughout the season. More theme games and details will be released as each individual contest approaches.
- Nov. 6 – vs. Monmouth – Opening Day
- Nov. 12 – vs. Auburn – Nikki McCray-Penson Day
- Nov. 18 – vs. Saint Francis – Food Drive
- Nov. 19 – vs. Delaware State – Recess Game
- Dec. 9 – vs. Indiana – Blackout Game
- Dec. 17 – vs. Virginia Tech – Holiday Hoops/Youth Spirit Game
- Jan. 5 – vs. Iowa – Scarlet Out Game
- Feb. 6 – vs. Maryland – Black Excellence Game
- Feb. 17 – vs. Wisconsin – Play4Kay Game
- March 3 – vs. Northwestern – Senior Day/Thank You Fans
History Against Auburn
Rutgers and Auburn are tied in the all-time series, 1-1.
The teams first met in 1985 in the Miami Women's Court Classic Final when the War Eagles came out on top, 61-48. However, in the most recent meeting in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009, the Scarlet Knights came away with the 80-52 victory.
Scouting the War Eagles
Sunday will be Auburn first road test of the season as the first two games of its season were played at home. The War Eagles defeated both Jacksonville State (78-49) and Louisiana (60-54) to start the campaign off 2-0.
Savannah Scott and Honesty Scott-Grayson currently pace the team, averaging 14.5 points each. Taylen Collins paces the team off the boards with 8.5 rebounds per game.
Looking Ahead
Rutgers will leave Jersey Mike's Arena for the first time this slate, traveling to nearby Seton Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 15 for a 7 p.m. game at Walsh Gymnasium.
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.
