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Rutgers women's basketball hosts North Carolina Central in midweek matchup

Senior guard Awa Sidibe is the Rutgers women's basketball team's leading scorer through the team's first three games. – Photo by Rutgers W.Basketball / Twitter

The Rutgers women’s basketball team will play its fourth straight home game to start the season when it faces North Carolina Central at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus tomorrow.

In their opening week of play, the Scarlet Knights (2-1, 0-0) won against Hofstra, lost against Seton Hall and took the victory against NJIT. As a team, Rutgers has scored a total of 217 points for an average of 72.3 points per game while allowing opposing offenses to average 71.3 points per game.

The Knights looked much better against the Highlanders (1-2, 0-0) this past Sunday after a tough loss on Friday against the Pirates (2-0, 0-0). The program defeated NJIT 87-71 with five players scoring at least 10 points and the team shooting a combined 20-for-21 from the free throw line.

Through Rutgers' first three matchups, senior guard Awa Sidibe leads the team with 13.3 points per game, junior forward Chyna Cornwell leads the team with more than eight rebounds per game and junior guard Erica Lafayette leads the team with four assists per game. On the defensive side of the ball, freshman guard Kaylene Smikle leads the Knights with nearly two steals per game while Cornwell leads the team with four blocks on the season.

The Eagles (1-2, 0-0) opened up their season with a win but have dropped their last two games. The program averages 60 points per game and has allowed opposing teams to score an average of more than 76 points per game.

Their main player to watch is Jerni Kiaku, who averages 12.7 points per game and is tied for the highest three-point percentage on the team. Kiaku serves as a dual threat for North Carolina Central as she averages three steals per game, the most on her team.

If Rutgers wants to keep finding success, the team needs to capitalize on the momentum from its good performance against the Highlanders. The Knights shot above 95 percent from the free throw line, their field goal percentage was more than 50 percent and they hit more than a third of its three-point shots during that matchup.

Rutgers and the Eagles will tip off at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network+ and 88.7 WRSU-FM.


For updates on the Rutgers women's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.


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