Rutgers Women's Basketball held off a strong attack from Manhattan in its season opener, winning 85-79.
Senior forward Chyna Cornwell led the way with one of her finest efforts as a Scarlet Knight. She scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end alone.
Cornwell was one of four Rutgers players in double-figures, as senior forwards Destiny Adams and JoJo Lacey each scored 14, and freshman forward Zachara Perkins scored 11 in her first official collegiate game.
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Jaspers guard Hana Mühl led the way and kept Manhattan in the game, scoring a game-high 28 points with nine three-pointers. The Ball State transfer kept her team in the game with a career effort in terms of volume and efficiency from the perimeter, but ultimately it was not enough. Inés Giménez Monserrat and Kristina Juric were the only other two Jaspers in double-figures with 19 and 11 points respectively.
Manhattan and ninth-year head coach Heather Vulin stayed within arm's length for much of the game, but Rutgers' dominance at the rim ultimately drove them to a win.
The two teams played a back-and-forth first quarter, with the Scarlet Knights leading by two at the end of the first quarter. Freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller scored the first four points of the game before leaving with an injury, as she appeared to take a shot to the face on a loose ball early in the game. Cornwell, Adams, and Lacey also got on the scoreboard in the quarter.
Head coach Coquese Washington said after the game that McMiller suffered an eye injury, and that she would continue to be evaluated before Thursday's matchup against Cornell, but she was not cleared to return tonight.
The Jaspers played a 2-3 zone throughout the game, limiting the downhill opportunities for the Scarlet Knights and forcing them to initiate the offense on the perimeter.
Rutgers gained a bit of an edge in the second quarter, going into halftime with a 40-33 lead. Sophomore guard Lisa Thompson, who missed the Caldwell exhibition with injury, nearly reached a double-double of her own with nine points and nine rebouds. She scored six in the second quarter alone as she started to get comfortable on the floor again.
Manhattan continued to stick around thanks to clutch three-point shooting from Mühl and company. They kept up a consistent output throughout, but managed to hit threes whenever Rutgers began to pull away.
Conversely, a big reason the Scarlet Knights weren't able to pull away sooner was their lack of consistency from the three-point line. They hit five of their 23 tries from beyond the arc, with only one player - Lacey - hitting more than one.
Adams was among the players with a three, as she continued to expand her game to the perimeter. She shared plenty of time on the court with Cornwell, and often stayed around the three-point line to give Cornwell room to operate on the block. Even though she only hit a single shot from the outside, defenses still respected the threat as she drew defenders out with a pump fake on multiple occasions.
The driving force that won Rutgers the game, however, was the rebounding edge. The Scarlet Knights outrebounded Manhattan 50-31 and outscored the Jaspers 20-5 on second-chance points. Four players finished with at least five rebounds, and they doubled up Manhattan on the offensive glass.
The key for the Scarlet Knights moving forward will be finding more creation from the perimeter in order to free up room near the rim for the team's slashers. Eventually getting McMiller back will help, whether on Thursday or farther in the future. She profiles as the team's top shot-creator from the perimeter and her isolation game will help free up room for the other four players on the floor if they have to help on her.
They should continue to win the rebounding battle, as Washington said after the game it's an area of strength they know they have. Whether Adams and Cornwell are both on the floor or only one of them is on, the Scarlet Knights have one of the Big Ten's top rebounders at their disposal. Thompson flew in from the perimeter on a few occasions as well, as Washington and Cornwell both noted the team effort that goes into rebounding.
Though it was a closer game than many expected to open the season, the Scarlet Knights were able to consistently put points on the board in a close game, which is something the team struggled badly with last year. The newcomers played relatively well as the team works on getting comfortable in their roles as well.
Rutgers will be back in action on Thursday night against Cornell, a game that will tip off at 7pm EST and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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