Kiyomi McMiller's career-high 27 points not enough in Rutgers women's basketball loss to Princeton
The Rutgers women's basketball team fell to Princeton 66-49 at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus. The Scarlet Knights (4-2, 0-0) dropped their second consecutive contest in a game the Tigers (4-2, 0-0) controlled wire-to-wire.
Freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 27 points from 12 of 25 shooting. She led Rutgers with three three-pointers and dished out two assists.
The first quarter saw a rough start from the Knights, who were out-rebounded 14-7 and allowed Princeton to score a number of easy layups, which was evident by the Tigers' 14 points in the paint in the opening quarter.
What followed in the second quarter was sloppy offense for both sides. An abysmal 30.8 percent shot rate from the field for Rutgers and an equally abysmal 27.8 percent for Princeton yielded a total of 20 points combined.
At the halfway point, the Knights were able to keep the deficit within single digits, 33-25, on the back of freshman guard McMiller, who tallied a game-high 14 points at the break.
McMiller was the focal point of the offense all game with her team-high 25 attempts from the field. When the offense was clicking, it was because McMiller was knocking down shots. The extra workload for McMiller was a byproduct of an awfully quiet afternoon from star senior forward Destiny Adams. More production from the surrounding cast will take the pressure off McMiller and help Adams on her off nights.
The scoring picked up out of the half, and Rutgers was able to cut the Tigers' lead down to as low as 6 before guard Ashley Chea knocked down a back-breaking three-pointer to kill the Knights' momentum. A big struggle for Rutgers all afternoon was getting into a rhythm on offense, and that three-ball with approximately 4 minutes to go in the quarter felt like it took the wind out of the Knights' sails.
Princeton only added to its lead in the fourth quarter, as Chea caught fire with 9 points on 4-6 shooting to add to her final tally of 20. Rutgers failed to complete a comeback after a scoreless quarter by Adams.
Adams played by far her worst game of the season, scoring just 4 points on a surprising five attempts from the field. The Tigers' defense did a great job of neutralizing Adams with its double team deep in the post, where Adams is usually at her best.
"We got to knock down some shots. We got to move the ball out of the double team," said head coach Coquese Washington. "Otherwise, people are going to continue to try to take (Adams) away."
She did impact the game without her scoring by bringing in 10 rebounds, but Adams came into today's game third in the country in points per game. Her offensive aggressiveness is crucial for the Knights going forward.
A discouraging sign was Rutgers losing the rebounding battle for its second straight game in a second straight defeat. The absence of 6-foot-3 junior forward Antonia Bates due to injury may have played a role in that, as she is usually down low to combat other team's bigs.
"Antonia's size helps us defensively, so not having her out there was big," Washington said.
But the rebound differential allowed Princeton to fire 16 more shots than the Knights, a real difference maker in the final score.
Rutgers will look to get back in the win column when it faces Marquette at home on Friday. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on X.
To view more of James Mertz's work, follow @JamesVMertz on X.
