PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team (8-6, 0-3 B1G) will return to Jersey Mike's Arena on Sunday, Jan. 5 to take on No. 4/5 USC. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. on the Big Ten Network and will be available to listen to on Fox Sports NJ.
The game will also be a Black Out and all fans are encouraged to wear black!
This contest is brought to you by RWJBarnabas Health and the entire 2024-25 Rutgers women's basketball season is presented by Prudential.
Last Time Out
The Scarlet Knights fell to No. 8/7 Maryland (13-0, 3-0 B1G), 78-61, on the road Thursday night.
Destiny Adams led scoring for the Scarlet Knights with 15 points, her 11th double digit outing of the season. Kiyomi McMiller also added 14 and has now recorded 10+ points in 12 consecutive outings. Adams also led the team off the boards with nine rebounds.
B1G Freshman on Campus
Guard Kiyomi McMiller was selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Dec. 23) for the second week in a row. She also earned the honor on Dec. 16 after leading the Scarlet Knights to a pair of wins over FDU (83-58) and Wagner (86-48) with back-to-back double-doubles.
McMiller is the first Scarlet Knight to win straight Big Ten weekly honors since Arella Guirantes was selected as the conference Player of the Week (Dec. 21) and Co-Player of the Week (Dec. 28) in 2020.
The Silver Spring, Maryland native helped Rutgers to another 1-0 week, as the team defeated Lafayette, 72-65 on Saturday, Dec. 21.
She led both teams on the court with a career best 31 points, her second performance of the season for 30 or more points. McMiller also added five rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes on the floor.
McMiller also hit a career high five three-pointers against the Leopards and currently leads the team with 26 deep balls. She continues to shoot consistently as well, going 12-for-25 from the field (48 percent) on Saturday.
She has reached double-digit points in the last 12 games, including eight outings with 20+ points. She is currently averaging 19.9 points per game.
It Is Her Destiny
Destiny Adams continues to amaze through as the team gets into Big Ten play.
Following the first week of the season, Adams earned the first Big Ten Player of the Week (Nov. 11) honor of her career in addition to being selected as one of the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week and an AP Player of the Week Honorable Mention.
The start of the season was highlighted by her historic performance over NJIT, (Nov. 10) when she recorded a career best 36 points and 22-rebound double-double. Besides her 2024 Big Ten Tournament performance (33 points, 24 rebounds), she is the first player in program history with 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in a regular season game in over 12 seasons.
Adams' 36 points ties a Jersey Mike's Arena record that was previously set by Arella Guirantes in 2020. She is also tied for 8th for the most points in a single game in program history, along with Guirantes and Caroline DeRoose (1994).
She also had 30 points and 15 boards in the game prior versus Cornell, to make her the first Scarlet Knight since Sue Wicks (1988) to net back-to-back 30+ point games.
Adams is currently averaging 18.1 points. She has reached double figures in 11 contests and secured five double-doubles so far.
Successful Alumni
Rutgers women's basketball celebrated three of its most distinguished alums during the offseason as Kahleah Copper earned a gold medal in the 2024 Olympic Games with Team USA, Benijah Laney-Hamilton was crowned the 2024 WNBA Champion with the New York Liberty and Cappie Pondexter was named to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as a part of the 2025 Class.
Copper helped Team USA to its eighth straight gold medal and her first, with a 67-66 win over France on August 11. Copper came up huge off the bench in the gold medal game with 12 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory.
Laney-Hamilton also made history with the Liberty, bringing the first WNBA Championship to New York. She played a huge role in game two of the series, netting 20 points in addition to two rebounds and two assists to give the Liberty its first victory of the series. In addition, she scored at least two points in the other four games.
The 5-9 guard who played for Rutgers from 2001-06, Pondexter was the fourth Scarlet Knight in women's basketball history to be named a First Team Kodak/WBCA All-American as well as the unanimous choice as the 2006 BIG EAST Player of the Year and the first player in league history to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team four times during her career. Pondexter is a two-time WNBA champion (Phoenix Mercury '07 & `09), a seven-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time All-WNBA First Team selection.
The Scarlet Knights Against the Top-25
Once again, Rutgers will face a loaded schedule, featuring a tough Big Ten slate. As of Dec. 31, RU has seven opponents on its schedule ranked in either or both the AP and WBCA USA Today poll and three receiving votes.
- No. 1/1 UCLA
- No. 4/5 USC
- No. 8/7 Maryland
- No. 10/10 Ohio State
- No. 21/21 Michigan State
- No. 23/-- Michigan
- No. 22/22 Iowa
- RV/RV Nebraska
- RV/RV Illinois
- --/RV Michigan
Returning to The Banks
RU returns seven Scarlet Knights to the squad in Destiny Adams, Lisa Thompson, Mya Petticord, Antonia Bates, Awa Sidibe, Kennedy Brandt and Chyna Cornwell.
During the 2023-24 campaign, this group combined for 125 games started, 1,267 points and 721 rebounds.
Welcoming the Newcomers
Head coach Coquese Washington added two transfers, a pair of freshmen and one walk-on in the offseason.
Graduate student JoJo Lacey joined the team from Boston College and sophomore Janae Walker from Kentucky.
As a senior, Lacey averaged 8.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She reached 10+ points in nine outings including two games with 20+ and a career-high 23-point performance against North Carolina (Feb. 29).
During her rookie season with the Wildcats, Walker played in 28 games and made one start. She netted a season-high six points and three field goals at No. 18/18 Louisville (Dec. 10), while also grabbing four rebounds three times. Walker led UK in blocks four times during the season.
Rookies Kiyomi McMiller and Zachara Perkins came "On The Banks" over the summer and walk-on junior Deja Young this fall.
A five-star recruit, McMiller was ranked No. 22 in her recruiting class by espnW. She played the last two seasons of her high school career at Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, averaging 30.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game during her senior campaign.
McMiller leaves high school with an impressive resume over a three-year span, scoring 2,015 points, 437 rebounds, 363 assists and 231 steals in 70 games.
During Perkins' 2022-23 season at Summercreek High School in Houston, Texas, she led her team to both an Area and a Bi-District Championship in addition to the Region 3 Finals. A consistent double-double type player, she averaged 18.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game through her junior season.
Perkins was named to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) All-State and All-Region teams. In addition, she was selected as the Newcomer of the Year and to the All-Academic Team.
Prior to Young arriving "On The Banks" she served as a walk-on for the Hampton women's basketball team from the fall of 2022 to the spring of 2023. During the campaign she helped the Pirates to a total of 12 wins including nine in conference play. At Teaneck high school, she helped guide her team in the first round of the 2021-22 NJSIAA Tournament with a season-high 26 points, five assists and five takeaways. In addition, she also aided her squad in reaching the North Jersey Section 1, Group 3 Quarterfinals.
Staff Additions
In addition to the five newcomers on the court, coach Washington also made some adds on the sideline. Johnetta Hayes was brought on as an assistant coach as well as Will McIntire as the director of Director of Scouting & Technology and Alejandro Ramirez as the interim director of basketball operations.
Hayes spent the last four seasons as the head coach at UMBC. In the 2022-23 season, Hayes led the Retrievers to an 11-win improvement, one of the best in the nation. Hayes also led the team to a 10-6 mark in America East play, their second-best record in program history.
McIntire comes to Piscataway after serving as a student manager and graduate assistant at Iowa over the past four years. Ramirez also served as a student manager with the Scarlet Knights over recent seasons before being promoted to his current role.
Scarlet Knights on the Big Screen
Rutgers will make six appearances on the big screen during the campaign between the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1.
- Friday, Nov. 29 vs. Marquette – 2 p.m. (BTN)
- Sunday, Jan. 5 vs. USC – 8 p.m. (BTN)
- Saturday, Jan. 18 at Michigan – 12 p.m. (BTN)
- Thursday, Jan. 23 vs. UCLA – 7 p.m. (FS1)
- Thursday, Feb. 6 at Indiana – 6 p.m. (BTN)
- Monday, Feb. 17 vs. Northwestern – 8 p.m. (BTN)
Scouting the Trojans
USC has been on a hot streak, winning nine straight games. The team's last and only loss of the season came against then-No. 6 Notre Dame (74-61) at the end of November.
JuJu Watkins (25.3) and Kiki Iriafen (18.1) lead the Trojans, averaging double-digit points. Iriafen also paces USC with 9.1 rebounds per game.
Looking Ahead
Rutgers will hit the road once again, this time to Minnesota on Wednesday, Jan. 8 for an 8 p.m. (ET) contest.
Follow Along
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