Rutgers women's basketball outpaces La Salle behind milestone night
Rutgers women's basketball defeated La Salle on Tuesday night 98-67 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Scarlet Knights moved to 6-5 on the year ahead of Saturday's Big Ten opener against Indiana. The 98 points were the most Rutgers has scored in a game since December 2020, when they scored 99 against Sacred Heart.
Rutgers was led on the night by six double-digit scorers, with Kaylene Smikle scoring 21 points to reach the 20-point mark for the fourth time in five games. Also reaching double figures were Destiny Adams with 17, Jillian Huerter with 16, Kassondra Brown with 12, Lisa Thompson with 11, and Erica Lafayette with 10, all in the second half.
Smikle and Adams both notched double-doubles with 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively. Every single player got in the scoring column, as freshman walk-on guard Kennedy Brandt scored the second and third points of her college career on two free throw attempts in the waning minutes.
It was a remarkably efficient shooting night, as the team shot 50% or better from the field in the final three quarters.
The Scarlet Knights reached another milestone in the fourth quarter, as Brown made a layup to score her 1,000th point in her collegiate career. The graduate center is in her second year at Rutgers, as she previously spent a year at Saint Peter's and two seasons with Rhode Island.
"It means the world," she said. "Especially the love I get from my teammates, I still got water dripping down my forehead from them in the locker room. But yeah, it means the world. It's a great day for me."
Head coach Coquese Washington talked about her impact on the team.
"KB means so much to this team," she said. "She's the heartbeat of that locker room. She came here last year and what she's brought and added to this program can't be understated, so for us to be a part of celebrating such a monumental accomplishment with her, it means everything to this program and we're so happy for her and happy that she did it here in a Rutgers uniform."
Both teams started out slowly from the floor, even after a quick 5-0 Scarlet Knight run in the opening minute, as Rutgers scored two points and La Salle remained scoreless until Jolene Armendariz's fadeaway jumper put the Explorers on the board at the 5:50 mark of the opening period.
Each team eventually woke up, and La Salle took a 15-14 lead with a minute and a half to go. From there, the Scarlet Knights shut it down, ending the period on a 7-0 run to retake the lead. Huerter hit two threes down the stretch to spark the run.
In the second quarter, Rutgers began to pull away, as the Scarlet Knights took a double-digit lead in the closing minutes of the quarter, and the Explorers would not bring it any closer. They still managed to keep within striking distance, going tip for tap with Rutgers to the tune of a 26-21 scoring margin in the second period.
Huerter hit two more threes in the quarter, giving her 12 first-half points while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and from beyond the arc. She summarized what went so well for her on offense fairly succinctly.
"My teammates," she said. "They share the ball well. We have some great passers on our team so my teammates are setting me up and getting me in the best spot I can to knock them down."
As has been the case in several of the Scarlet Knights' nonconference matchups, they truly began to pull away in the second half. The Explorers nearly got doubled up in the period, as Rutgers paced La Salle 26-14. The Scarlet Knights continued their efficient night at the basket, shooting 50% from the floor and scoring 18 of their 26 points in the paint.
Rutgers also outscored La Salle 25-17 in the fourth quarter for good measure, making the second-half margin 51-31 in favor of the Scarlet Knights.
"I thought we were able to get some stops and we got going in transition," Washington said. "We talked about coming into this game playing with a high basketball IQ, making great decisions, making smart decisions, making the game easy for each other."
The team had one of their best nights sharing the ball, with 21 assists on 35 made field goals compared to just 9 turnovers.
"That's one of the things that we did when you look at our assist-to-turnover numbers tonight," she added. "We were doing a good job of sharing the ball and finding each other, and putting our teammates in positions where they can make plays they can make. The more we do that, the better I think will be the more efficient will continue to be on the offensive end.”
Tonight's matchup was the final tune-up game before a tough part of the Scarlet Knights' schedule, where they face three consecutive top teams in Indiana, Princeton, and Virginia Tech. The Hoosiers come to town at 4 pm at Jersey Mike's Arena.
"You know, basketball is a fun game," Washington said with a smile. "Nights like tonight are when everybody can be their best and everybody can show their gifts. Those are the fun nights, and so tonight was a fun night and I'm glad we can enjoy it. And now we gotta get ready for the start of Big Ten play."
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