Tag: Rutgers women’s basketball

Rutgers women’s basketball announces signing of five-star guard Kiyomi McMiller

Kiyomi McMiller has officially signed with Rutgers basketball.

On Thursday afternoon, Rutgers women’s basketball added another talented guard to the mix with the signing of Kiyomi McMiller.

McMiller signs with Rutgers following an impressive high school career at Life Center Academy (Burlington, New Jersey).

Over the last two years, McMiller has been a scoring machine, but she took her game to a new level as a senior. Last season, she averaged 30.1 points per game. During her high school career, the talented guard scored 2,015 points and recorded 231 steals in 70 games. 

While McMiller’ collegiate debut is months away excitement in Piscataway is building for the impact she will make. Her new head coach has been impressed by what she has seen from McMiller and sees her as a great fit.

5️⃣🌟 guard @Kiyomi_McMiller has officially SIGNED with #Rutgers Basketball‼️@aleccr12 has more —> https://t.co/Cl1uTk56rd

pic.twitter.com/gp5IZk2i8Y

— Rutgers Scarlet Knights | TheKnightReport.Net (@RutgersRivals) April 18, 2024

“Kiyomi McMiller is one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen play the game of basketball,” head coach Coquese Washington told Rutger athletics. “She is a walking highlight, and our fans are going to love watching her breathtaking performances in Jersey Mike’s Arena. She is a fast-paced guard which fits in well with how we like to play.”

Kiyomi McMiller so tough 😳 @KEYthe_baller32 pic.twitter.com/WgKqBAs71f

— Overtime (@overtime) April 30, 2022

With McMiller in the lineup Rutgers offense is expected to improve. She is known for her skilled ball handling and scoring ability. She was graded as one of the top prospects in the country by outlets such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sports Center Next and WSLAM.

Rutgers women’s basketball head coach Coquese Washington: Rebuilding season points up for young Scarlet Knights

Rutgers women’s basketball closes out a disappointing season with optimism.

A season of raised expectations ended with disappointment for Rutgers women’s basketball, who lost in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.

The Scarlet Knights, in their second season under head coach Coquese Washington, finished the year 8-24 (2-14 Big Ten).

There was hope that this year under Washington would see Rutgers take a step forward in their development. Despite undertaking a rather substantial rebuild, Washington had done a solid job of recruiting and adding some talent via the transfer portal.

There was a strong belief that Rutgers could build off the struggles from their first season under Washington. But this season underscored the lack of depth on the roster as Washington continues to revamp the group.

That was seen on Wednesday in a 77-69 loss to Minnesota in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

“I really like this team. I really like the young ladies that I’m coaching this year. They make it easy to come in the gym every day. They make it
easy to come to work every day, to keep fighting because
of who they are,” Washington told reporters on Wednesday following the opening round loss in the Big Ten Tournament.

“We are still in the mindset and the process of building this program up. We’re still building our culture. We’re still getting the pieces that we need to have. This year was a really, really tough year for a lot of reasons, but the
perseverance that these young ladies showed throughout the season is the thing that we’ll take out of it.”

One of those bright spots this season was Destiny Adams.

[lawrence-related id=36078,36067]

The transfer from North Carolina was a huge addition to the program, providing scoring, rebounding and toughness as well as strong leadership.

In the Big Ten Tournament loss, Adams scored 31 points and had 24 rebounds in 38 minutes played.

Rutgers women’s basketball falls to Minnesota in first round of Big Ten Tournament

Rutgers women’s basketball has seen their Big Ten Tournament hopes end.

On Wednesday night, Rutgers women’s basketball’s Big Ten Tournament hopes ended against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers beat Rutgers 77-69 as Amaya Battle had one of the best games of her career. It was Minnesota’s first win in the Big Ten Conference Tournament since 2020.

The Golden Gophers built a big lead early on, partly due to Battle’s play. The talented guard scored a career-high 32 points and had seven assists. She also got some help from Grace Grocholski, who scored 12 points.

While Rutgers season came to a disappointing end, Destiny Adams continued to be a points machine. The Lakehurst, New Jersey, native had one of her best games this season, scoring 31 points. She also made an impact on the boards with 24 rebounds.

 

In this game, one of Rutgers most significant issues was taking care of the ball. They committed 16 turnovers, while Minnesota only committed seven. That made it hard for Rutgers to take control of the game. Their biggest lead of the night was two points.

[lawrence-related id=36046,36039]

Although Rutgers will now shift its focus to the 2024-2025 campaign, Minnesota will be back in action on Thursday night. They are set to take on Michigan in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Big Ten Tournament: Rutgers women’s basketball is looking to make a run

Rutgers women’s basketball plays in the Big Ten Tournament against Minnesota.

On Wednesday night, Rutgers women’s basketball will take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Neither team exactly comes into the conference tournament with momentum.

Both Rutgers and Minnesota have each won one time in their last five games. Rutgers only win in that span came against Minnesota on February 13.

As Rutgers looks to win its second straight against Minnesota, they will need Destiny Adams and Erica Lafayette to have big nights. In her last five games, Adams has been a points machine with at least double-digit points every game during that span. She has gotten help from Lafayette, who has scored 31 combined points in her last two games.

 

However, they will have their hands full with Mara Braun. The Golden Gophers star is averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game. In Minnesota’s loss to Illinois on Sunday, Braun was a bright spot with 18 points and five rebounds.

[lawrence-related id=35948,35933]

Additionally, Rutgers must play a complete game to finish the season strong. They have struggled to get back into games after getting off to slow starts. That is something that Minnesota will take advantage of.

 

Rutgers women’s basketball: Destiny Adams named All-Big Ten

Rutgers women’s basketball forward Destiny Adams named All-Big Ten.

In her first season with Rutgers women’s basketball, Destiny Adams was named an All-Big Ten selection.

The Rutgers forward, a summer transfer from North Carolina, was named All-Big Ten second team on Tuesday. She averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

For Adams, who played a shade under 30 minutes a game, her scoring and rebounding numbers were both career-highs. It was an impressive output from Adams, who routinely faced double-teams.

She was also an impressive 50.1 percent from the floor this past season which was another career high. Adams was selected All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches.

 

Rutgers faces Minnesota on Wednesday in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

[lawrence-related id=35933,35910,35899]

It has not been an easy season for Rutgers women’s basketball, who went 8-23 (2-16 Big Ten). They’ve lost their last four games.

Injuries and an overall lack of depth made this a difficult year for the Scarlet Knights, in what was their second season of a rebuild under head coach Coquese Washington.

 

Rutgers women’s basketball opens March with loss to Northwestern

Rutgers women’s basketball closes the Big Ten regular season with a loss.

On Sunday afternoon, Rutgers women’s basketball continued to struggle against Big Ten teams in their latest conference loss. The Scarlet Knights closed out the Big Ten regular season with a 72-61 loss to Northwestern.

With the loss, Rutgers finishes the Big Ten regular season with an 8-23 (2-16 Big Ten) record. Next up for Rutgers is a game against Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament.

While Rutgers played better in the second half, they were unable to
recover from a slow start. They were outscored 36-28 in the first half as Northwestern thrived close to the basket. The Wildcats scored 28 points in the paint.

Although Sunday did not go as planned for Rutgers, there were a few players who had impressive games. That includes Destiny Adams and Erica Lafayette. Adams added 14 points and six rebounds to her resume. Lafayette scored more than ten points for the second straight game.

 

 

Against the Wildcats, Rutgers was again unable to play a complete game. They only outscored Northwestern in the fourth quarter, but at that point the game was out of reach. From three-point range, Rutgers shot 25 percent.

Last year in the Big Ten Tournament

Rutgers women’s basketball finishes season with matchup against Northwestern

Rutgers women’s basketball is hoping to close out the Big Ten regular season with a win.

On Sunday afternoon, the Big Ten regular season will come to an end for Rutgers women’s basketball with a matchup against Northwestern. Rutgers will be looking to end the regular season with a win after losing three straight. Against a Northwestern team that has struggled on the road, Rutgers is in a good position.

As Rutgers looks to secure their ninth win of the season, they will need a big game from Destiny Adams. The Lakehurst native is averaging 15.2 points per game this season. Against Michigan State on February 24, Adams scored 11 points and recorded nine rebounds.

In this matchup, Rutgers will be tasked with stopping Melannie Daley. The talented junior is averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game. In February, she was a points machine, scoring at least 10 points in four games.

 

 

While limiting Daley will be a priority, playing a complete game will be essential for Rutgers. They have shown a tendency to struggle offensively for long periods, allowing their opponents to build double-digit leads. If that trend continues, it could be fatal against a motivated Northwestern team.

[lawrence-related id=35821,35824]

However, Rutgers does have one advantage. Northwestern has struggled on the road this season with a 2-9 record. At home, Rutgers has gone 7-10 and been much more competitive regardless of the opponent.

Rutgers women’s basketball closes out February with loss to Michigan State

Rutgers women’s basketball suffers another Big Ten loss.

On Saturday night, February’s portion of Rutgers women’s basketball season came to an end in disappointing fashion. The Scarlet Knights took on the Michigan State Spartans and were unable to get many stops in a 93-57 loss.

As Michigan State improved to 20-7, they got contributions through the roster. They were led by Moira Joiner, who added 22 points and three rebounds to her resume. She got help from Julia Ayrault and Abbey Kimball, who scored 17 points.

With the loss, Rutgers is now 8-22 (2-15 Big Ten).

 

While the Spartans were able to score at will, they were particularly good close to the basket. They outscored Rutgers in the paint 42-18. That allowed Michigan State to build a lead early that they would not relinquish.

Although Saturday night did not go as planned for Rutgers, there were a few bright spots. That includes Erica Lafayette, who had one of her best games of the season. The Baton Rouge native scored 20 points and added two rebounds to her resume. The only other Rutgers players to score double figures were Destiny Adams and Jillian Huerter.

With their 30th game of the season in the books, Rutgers will shift their focus to their season finale against Northwestern on March 3. The Scarlet Knights will have an excellent opportunity to end their season with a win, as Northwestern is 8-19.

Rutgers women’s basketball looks to get back on track against Michigan State

Rutgers women’s basketball is looking to bounce back this weekend with a Big Ten game.

In their February finale, Rutgers women’s basketball is set to take on Michigan State on Saturday afternoon. Rutgers will be looking to end their two-game skid against a Spartans team with 19 wins.

As Rutger looks to pull off an upset, they will be tasked with stopping Julia Ayrault. The Grosse Pointe Woods native is averaging a team-high 14.9 points per game. In the Spartans latest win over Purdue on February 21 Ayrault added 12 points and eight rebounds to her resume.

 

While Michigan State will be heavily favored, their main challenge will be stopping Destiny Adams. She has been a scoring machine for Rutgers, averaging 15.3 points per game. Only Kaylene Smikle has been better.

For Rutgers to pull off an upset, they must play a complete game. Against the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday they were outscored 22-4 in the second quarter. As Rutgers offense struggled to get anything going, Maryland built a lead they would not relinquish.

[lawrence-related id=35598,35590]

Against a talented Michigan State team, there will be little room for error. This game also represents a perfect chance for Rutgers to conquer their road demons. Rutgers is 1-9 away from Jersey Mike’s Arena this season.

Rutgers women’s basketball loses second straight game to Maryland

Rutgers women’s basketball struggles in loss at Maryland.

For the second time this season, Rutgers women’s basketball struggled against the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday night. Maryland emerged with an 81-62 win in a Big Ten battle. The Scarlet Knights struggled to play a complete game in their latest conference loss.

While Rutgers played better in the second half, they were outscored 22-4 in the second quarter. That allowed Maryland to build a lead that they would not relinquish.

In this matchup, Maryland was led by Shyanne Sellers, who had another big game. The Aurora, Ohio, native scored a team-high 21 points. She also got help from Allie Kubek, who added 16 points and four rebounds to her resume.

 

Although Wednesday ended in disappointing fashion for Rutgers, there were a few bright spots. That includes Destiny Adams, who scored 15 points. She has provided a spark offensively in her first year at Rutgers, averaging 15.3 points per game. Kassondra Brown and Lisa Thompson also made an impact, scoring 11 points.

[lawrence-related id=35537,35534,35528]

As Maryland recorded their 16th win of the season, they dominated close to the basket. The Terrapins scored 38 points in the paint and only allowed 26. They also performed well from three-point range, making 33.3 percent of their shots.

With their 29th game of the season in the books, Rutgers will shift its focus to Michigan State. They are set to take on the Spartans on February 24.