IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Rutgers women's basketball team (10-16, 4-10 B1G) was downed by No. 5/6 Iowa, 111-57, on the road, Sunday afternoon.
Kaylene Smikle netted 28 points to lead all scoring in the game and come within one point of matching her career high. She also paced the team with five rebounds and five steals.
Smikle (8-for-8) and Awa Sidibe (2-for-2) led the Scarlet Knights at the free throw line as the team went a perfect 10-for-10.
How it Happened
- Iowa got out to a quick 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes of play. Smikle put Rutgers on the board with a three-point play to make the score 7-3.
- The Hawkeyes added a field goal before Smikle went onto score four consecutive points to close the gap, 9-7.
- Iowa netted three free throws before Smikle became the first player on the floor to reach double-figure scoring, with a three-pointer to make it a two-point game, 12-10.
- At the 4:43 media timeout, Smikle accounted for all 10 of the Scarlet Knights' points and led all scoring in the game.
- Following the stop, Iowa scored five unanswered points to take the 17-10 edge, forcing RU to use its first timeout of the day.
- The Hawkeyes continued their run out of the stop, but Rutgers answered as Erica Lafayette, Kassondra Brown and Kai Carter added buckets.
- UI outscored RU 5-2 in the final minutes of the opening period to stay in front, 29-18.
- Iowa started off the second with a pair of free throws and three consecutive layups to extend its lead, 37-18, and force Rutgers' second timeout.
- Out of the break, both teams hit a three-pointer to keep the gap at 16 points.
- The Hawkeyes stayed aggressive on offense, going on another nine-point stretch to stay ahead, 49-24, and forced the Scarlet Knights to use their third timeout. The opposition scored another layup out of the stop, but Sidibe put an end to the spurt with a pair of shots from the charity stripe with just over three minutes to go in the first half.
- Lafayette put an end to another big run for Iowa with a layup in the final seconds of the second quarter. UI took the 60-28 advantage into the locker room.
- The Hawkeyes came out in the third period with a three-pointer, but Sidibe followed it up with a jumper. Iowa continued onto net six points in a row and take the 69-30 edge.
- Carter recorded a jumper while Smikle added two shots from the line and a layup to generate momentum for RU at the six-minute mark.
- At the 4:32 media timeout, Iowa led, 78-36. After the stop, Iowa continued a 13-point stretch to force Rutgers' fourth and final timeout of the day.
- UI continued to pile on, with 19 points in the final minutes of the third to take a 97-42 lead into the final quarter of the contest.
- Chyna Cornwell and Smikle got scoring started in the final period for RU, with a layup and two shots from the line, respectively.
- Just before the six-minute mark in the final 10 minutes, Smikle recorded a steal and a bucket. She followed it up with her second three-point play of the game before Iowa called its first timeout with 5:33 left on the clock.
- Out of the stop, Lafayette and Smikle secured baskets to complete a 6-0 spurt for RU and force UI's second timeout. Carter added one final jumper for Rutgers before the end of the contest, but Iowa came out on top, 111-57.
Knights Notes
- Smikle's 28 points marks her 21st double digit outing this campaign and her 12th with 20+ points. She has netted 10+ points in 13 of the last 14 games and paces the team with 17.4 points per game including an average of 19.9 points in Big Ten play.
- The freshman hit two three-pointers on Sunday to add to her season total of 46, which leads the team. She has at least one make from behind the arc in all but two games this season.
- Smikle has made 23 free throws in a row, dating back to Jan. 26 vs. Penn State. She went 5-for-6 at the line against the Nittany Lions but has been perfect since.
- Sidibe shot a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe in the game, marking the 9th time this season she has not missed from the line.
- The Rutgers' defense held national-standout Caitlin Clark to a season low 15 points on Sunday, just the second time she finished below 20 points.
- Rutgers outscored Iowa in the fourth quarter, 15-14.
Next Up
The Scarlet Knights return to Jersey Mike's Arena on Wednesday, February 15, to host Northwestern. The contest will be at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+.
Follow Along
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