MINNEAPOLIS – The Rutgers women's basketball team (8-23, 2-16 B1G) will face Minnesota (15-14, 5-13 B1G) in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, March 6. The game will begin 25 minutes after the end of the first game which begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.  

The entire first round of the Big Ten Tournament will be streamed live on Peacock while you can also listen live on Fox Sports NJ and WRSU.  

Last Time Out 

 Rutgers fell in its regular season finale to Northwestern, 72-61, on Sunday afternoon.   

Destiny Adams led the Scarlet Knights with 14 points in addition to six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Erica Lafayette (11), Jillian Huerter (10) and Antonia Bates (10) also reached double digit scoring. Chyna Cornwell paced the team off the boards with 11 rebounds.   

The Scarlet Knights celebrated Senior Day, honoring its three seniors in Kassondra Brown, Erica Lafayette and Chyna Cornwell.   

Block Party 

With 128 blocks so far this season, Rutgers currently paces the Big Ten in denials. 

Antonia Bates currently ranks third in the conference with 44 blocks, averaging 1.5 per outing. The sophomore has registered a block in all but five games she has been active for this season and recorded 3+ denials in five contests.  

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 second game of the season against Wagner, RU beat their previous high off the glass from last season, grabbing 55 boards. The squad secured is highest difference of the campaign against Wagner with a +24 margin.  

With 1,127 rebounds so far, Rutgers currently ranks third in the Big Ten off the glass. Destiny Adams sits fifth overall in the conference, with 230 total boards. She also ranks first in offensive rebounds with 90 total boards.    

RU has reached 40+ rebounds in seven outings this campaign and come out ahead on the glass 17 times.  

The Scarlet "Double-Double" Knights 

Rutgers has recorded 13 double-doubles through 31 games this season. Destiny Adams leads the way with seven, while Chyna Cornwell (3), Kaylene Smikle (2) and Kassondra Brown (1) all follow closely behind.   

Adams and Brown have both recorded at least one double-doubles in Big Ten play. Adams leads the way with three as she recorded 23 points and 13 rebounds at Purdue (Jan. 2), 28 points and 10 rebounds versus Michigan State (Jan. 30), 21 points and 10 rebounds against Minnesota (Feb. 13) and 18 points and 10 rebounds versus Wisconsin (Feb. 17). Brown secured 12 points and 11 boards against Iowa (Jan. 5) as well.  

Adams, a product of Manchester, New Jersey, also set the season-high off the glass for RU with in her first contest at Rutgers with a 13-point, 17-rebound double-double performance versus Wagner (Nov. 6). 

For the Stars and Stripes  

Kahleah Copper was officially named to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament roster on Sunday, Feb. 4. After a 101-39 win over Senegal to end the tournament, Copper helped Team USA qualify for the 2024 Olympic games in Paris from July 26 to August 11. 

Copper played for Rutgers from 2012 to 2016, was picked No. 7 overall in the 2016 WNBA draft and has since been a WNBA Champion, WNBA Finals MVP and one of the league's most dynamic players. She was also a part of the 2022 World Cup Championship team with USA Basketball.  

Copper was named the Director of Athletic Culture & Professional Development earlier this season. In this role, she focuses on helping student-athletes continue to grow and develop for careers on the next level. Copper will aid in recruiting efforts, alumni events, fundraising and community outreach opportunities. An eight-year veteran of the WNBA, Copper will also assist with on-court workouts and share her professional basketball experience.   

50 Seasons 

Rutgers will celebrate 50 seasons of women's basketball on Sunday, Jan. 21 against Michigan at 2 p.m. The team will welcome back both Letterwinners and fans "On The Banks" during the weekend for various events, activities and giveaways celebrating 50 years of Rutgers women's basketball.   

Since their first season in 1974, the Scarlet Knights have proven they are a nationally elite program with a tradition of success. The program has appeared in 26 NCAA Tournaments in addition to four Sweet Sixteens, five Elite Eights, two Final Fours and one National Championship game.   

Rutgers has also produced over 35 1,000-point scorers, four First Team All-Americans and 56 All-Conference Team Selections. Scarlet Knights have found success at the professional level too, with 24 alumni who competed in the WNBA, six WNBA Champions, four Olympians and 11 Team USA Basketball members.  

RU has had two Naismith Hall of Fame coaches in Theresa Grentz and C. Vivian Stringer who both led the program to new heights during their time in Piscataway, setting a strong foundation and culture for generations to follow. Current head coach Coquese Washington has continued to build upon their tradition and bring Rutgers into a new era. 

Rutgers just launched its 50 seasons website, where you can scroll through photo and video galleries, check out a timeline of the program's history, view archives statistics and Alumni Spotlights. Fans can also submit their favorite Scarlet Knights memory from through the years. You can access all this information and more here. 

The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25 

Rutgers has played five opponents currently ranked in the AP/USA Today/WBCA Coaches Polls.  

• No. 3/6 Iowa*  
• No. 4/2 Ohio State*  
• No. 11/4 Virginia Tech  
• No. 12/12 Indiana*     
• No. 25/-- Fairfield 

Princeton (AP & USA Today/WBCA) and Michigan State* (AP & USA Today/WBCA) are also all currently receiving votes between both polls.   

*Big Ten contest 

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, Jeanine Wasielewski and Kahleah Copper 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. 

Copper enjoyed a legendary career at Rutgers before becoming one of the faces of the WNBA. The seventh overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Copper has played a pivotal role in leading the Chicago Sky's rise to success, becoming a three-time WNBA All-Star and leading the team to its first WNBA Championship in 2021 as the Finals MVP. Copper has played 254 games for the Sky, fourth most in franchise history, over her seven-year career in a Sky uniform. She ranks top-five in multiple statistical categories including fourth in scoring (2,676 points), tied for third in 25-plus point games in a single season with seven in 2023 and fifth in total rebounds (799). Copper finished her collegiate career third on Rutgers' all-time scoring list with 1,872 career points, only Sue Wicks and Cappie Pondexter ranked higher at the time. The Philadelphia native also led RU to a 2014 WNIT Championship and was named the MVP of the tournament as a sophomore. That same season, she was also selected to the American Athletic Conference First Team. Copper also guided the Scarlet Knights to the Second Round in the NCAA Tournament in 2015. She was a two-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection, by both the coaches and media.  

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, Jan. 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 & Community Day 
• Dec. 17 – vs. Virginia Tech – Holiday Hoops/Youth Spirit Game 
• Jan. 5 – vs. Iowa – Scarlet Out Game 
• Jan. 21 – vs. Michigan – 50 Season Celebration Game 
• Feb. 6 – vs. Maryland – Black Excellence Game 
• Feb. 17 – vs. Wisconsin – Play4Kay Game 
• March 3 – vs. Northwestern – Senior Day/Thank You Fans 

Earlier This Season... 

Destiny Adams recorded her third B1G double-double and Mya Petticord netted a career-best scoring performance to lead the Rutgers over Minnesota on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Jersey Mike's Arena. 

Petticord led all scorers with 25 points. The sophomore came up huge in the fourth quarter, recording 17 of Rutgers' 29 points, including perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line to help clinch the win.  

Adams' 21 points and 10 rebounds helped the junior to her sixth double-double of the season and third in Big Ten play.   

Antonia Bates also had a big performance for the Scarlet Knights as a key facilitator of RU's offense with a career-high eight assists. She also recorded a career-best four steals. 

Erica Lafayette had a big game from beyond-the-arc with a career-high three three-pointers on 75 percent shooting (3-of-4). 

Rutgers had its best performance of the season at the free throw line, shooting 26-of-28 (92.9 percent), highlighted by Adams' 9-of-9 performance at the charity stripe.   

After trailing 18-8, after the first quarter, Rutgers outscored Minnesota, 73-55, across the following three periods to claim its victory. The Scarlet Knights shot 15-of-25 (60 percent) from the field and 7-of-9 (77.8 percent) from three in the second half.   

History Against Minnesota 

Rutgers is 9-5 in the all-time series against Minnesota. The teams traded decisions back and forth from 2017 to 2022 until the Scarlet Knights have come out on top in the last three meetings.  

Scouting the Gophers 

Minnesota has fallen in 10 of its last 11 games, including its most recent four contests. 

Grace Grocholski (11.4), Amaya Battle (10.8) and Sophie Hart (10.2) all currently pace active Gophers with double-digit points per game.  Mallory Heyer (8.2) also paces the team off the glass.   

Looking Ahead 

The winner on Wednesday will go onto face Michigan on Thursday, March 7. That contest will begin 25 minutes after game five (6:30 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.  

Follow Along    

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