As the calendar flipped to December, Rutgers women’s basketball picked up where they left off in November. The Scarlet Knights took on Lafayette in front of 1,497 fans at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday night and won in dominating fashion.
Chyna Cornwell led the way offensively for Rutgers with a team-high 16 points. She got some help in the form of Kaylene Smikle, who scored 13, and Destiny Adams, who added 14 points to her resume. While the Rutgers trio was hard to stop, they also took advantage of Lafayette’s mistakes.
The Leopards turned the ball over 19 times and committed 16 fouls. For the second straight game, Rutgers’s defense proved problematic and forced at least 15 turnovers. That has made it hard for opponents to gain any momentum.
Allll the smoke 💨
📺 @BigTenPlus
📊 https://t.co/7m7Yqxekqe #GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/j3SVFqJaGa— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 2, 2023
Rutgers built an early lead in this one, outscoring Lafayette 33-17 in the first half. The Leopards struggled to get points on the board, which allowed Rutgers to build a lead they would relinquish.
After securing their second straight win, Rutgers focus will shift to their matchup against La Salle in two weeks. La Salle has had an up-and-down season so far and will be a good challenge for the Scarlet Knights.
While Rutgers will get a two-week break to rest up, they have played much better basketball lately after losing three straight games.