Destiny Adams' career-day leads Rutgers women's basketball past NJIT for 3rd straight win
The Rutgers women's basketball team defeated NJIT 94-84 on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus. The Scarlet Knights (3-0, 0-0) put up a season-high in points but also allowed a season-high in points against the Highlanders (1-2, 0-0). The first quarter saw Rutgers start with a fast-paced offensive attack, getting the ball into the paint and often drawing contact. The team got to the line 10 times during the opening quarter but only converted on four attempts. Senior guard and forward Destiny Adams picked up right where she left off from the last game, scoring 11 points for the Knights in the opening frame.
Defensively, covering outside the arc was an issue for Rutgers, as it allowed NJIT to convert on five three-point tries. Despite shooting just 36.8 percent from the field in the first quarter, the Highlanders only trailed by 1 point heading into the second frame.
Freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller made her first appearance in the second quarter, and her presence was felt immediately. McMiller drained two straight baskets, giving her team a needed boost on offense.
NJIT answered with a spark of its own, coming from Alejandra Zuniga, who shot 60 percent from the field while adding 15 points. The game was tied in the waning seconds of the first half when McMiller heaved up a deep three-point shot to beat the buzzer, sending the crowd into a frenzy and giving the Knights a 47-44 lead at the break.
Leading by three heading into the second half, Rutgers had some momentum, but the Highlanders would not go away without a fight. The team kept it close for most of the third quarter until the Knights' defense stepped up and held NJIT to no made field goals for the final 8 minutes of the third quarter.
Adams added another 11 points to her total and got to the free-throw line 10 times, converting on seven attempts. Rutgers would go into the final period leading the Highlanders 69-56.
A strong fourth quarter from Adams and McMiller, who each scored 10 points, led the Knights to their third straight win in the young season.
It was a physical game for both teams. A combined 63 fouls were called throughout the contest, which falls seven fouls short of an NCAA record of 70 combined fouls between Oklahoma and Kentucky back in 2014. McMiller recorded a career-high 25 points, doing so efficiently with a field goal percentage of 50.
Adams finished the game as the leading scorer with a career-best 34 points, 16 of which came from the free-throw line, marking back-to-back 30-point performances for her. More impressively, Adams finished with a team-high 22 rebounds.
"(Adams) plays so hard, and that's one of the things that makes it difficult to stop her and guard her," said head coach Coquese Washington. "She's just relentless with everything she does … She's just a joy to coach because of how hard she plays and how much she gives of herself every time she steps on the floor."
It was a solid performance for Rutgers, but there are still things to work on this early in the season. The Knights need to work on defensive rotation going forward, especially around the perimeter, as they gave up 12 three-point shots. Free throws were another aspect of the game that Rutgers struggled with early on but corrected as the game continued, finishing 24 of 42 from the charity stripe.
The Knights will have a few days off before they take on Iona in a matinee game on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
"We just want to continue to hone in on who we are and what our identity is," Washington said. "We are going to get better at who we are and get better at playing our brand of basketball, so we'll get back in the gym and work on those things."
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