Rutgers women's basketball wins 2024 season opener over Manhattan
Aside from an exhibition game, it had been 246 days since fans last saw the Rutgers women's basketball team play at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus. In the 2024 season opener, the Scarlet Knights (1-0, 0-0) did not disappoint, as they defeated Manhattan 85-79 in a hard-fought matchup.
Rutgers started the first quarter quickly, with freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller scoring the Knights' first 4 points. Approximately 4 minutes in, McMiller took an offensive foul that left her sidelined for the remainder of the quarter.
Rutgers moved the ball well in the opening quarter, with five different players recording a basket. The Jaspers (0-1, 0-0) matched the Knights' pace well, though, trailing just 17-15 after the opening 10 minutes of play.
The second quarter saw Rutgers with many opportunities on the offensive end, putting up 20 shot attempts, converting on 9. The Knights were not as effective from beyond the arc, shooting just 20 percent. Freshman forward Zachara Perkins and sophomore guard Lisa Thompson found their rhythm for Rutgers, each scoring 6 points.
Defensively, the Knights often found themselves either with a mismatch or a slow rotation that allowed Manhattan to convert on open looks in the first half. Hana Muhl took advantage of those opportunities, scoring 14 points on an impressive 75 percent from three for the Jaspers.
With many new faces and an eight-month hiatus from playing a regular season game together, the first half went as well as Rutgers fans could have asked for. The defense grabbed rebounds, the bench was active and the turnovers were kept to a minimum, with just five turnovers given up in the half.
The third quarter was back and forth, as the Knights continued to be met by answers from the Jaspers. Muhl remained efficient, scoring 9 more points while shooting a perfect 100 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line.
Despite the home team holding an 8-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play, Manhattan seemed to control the game many times in the final frame. With approximately 3 minutes left to play, Petra Jurič hit two free throws to cut the Rutgers lead down to 5 points. The Knights kept their composure and answered with baskets by graduate student forward JoJo Lacey and graduate student center Chyna Cornwell. Both buckets came off offensive boards, contributing to the team's 18 total offensive rebounds on the day.
Cornwell started off her final season on the Banks with a bang, leading Rutgers with 21 points and 15 rebounds while sporting a 75 percent shooting percentage from the field.
"I'm more than excited to be back," Cornwell said. "My heart is at Rutgers, and I say that to everybody … Just another opportunity to play this game is more than a blessing."
Four different Knights recorded double-digit point totals in the victory, as senior guard and forward Destiny Adams, Lacey, Perkins and Cornwell all surpassed 10 points. As for the Jaspers, Muhl led the scoring with 28 points, five rebounds and six assists.
The big question leaving tonight's game is the status of McMiller, who did not return to the game after being struck in the eye while drawing an offensive foul call.
"(McMiller) got hit in the eye, so we got to see how she responds overnight and the next couple of days," said head coach Coquese Washington. "Hopefully, she recovers fairly quickly. She wasn't cleared to come back into the game, so we had to keep her out."
Overall, Rutgers' win was not the cleanest. Chemistry will come with the players spending more time together on the court. Defensive rotations, more fluidity on offense and more efficiency in shooting three-point shots are all areas of improvement for the Knights going forward.
"Some defensive things we got to work on, some of our rotations, some of our communication in transition," Washington said. "We'll get back in the practice gym and we'll clean up some of that stuff. But overall (I am) just happy to come away with a win."
Rutgers will return to its home court on Thursday against Cornell at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus as well as 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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