Rutgers women’s basketball earns another double-digit victory season with weekend win over Wisconsin
The Rutgers women’s basketball team secured a Sunday afternoon win against Wisconsin in a hard-fought battle to the finish. The Scarlet Knights (10-14, 4-8) picked up their tenth win of the season, marking their sixth consecutive double-digit winning campaign.
Rutgers wore special pink uniforms for the match, celebrating the Play4Kay foundation. The Play4Kay Game honors the fight against women's cancer. The team paid tribute to cancer survivors and healthcare heroes in its pregame introductions, as well as a halftime showcase celebrating all of the survivors in attendance. The celebrations brought in a big crowd for the Knights, filling more than 5,000 seats.
The game kicked off with the Badgers (7-17, 2-10) at the free throw line, off of a foul initiated by freshman guard Kaylene Smikle. Wisconsin drained both of its attempts, giving the team the early 2-0 lead.
TThe two teams stayed tied virtually throughout all of the first quarter as neither got enough momentum to walk away with a hefty lead. The two were deadlocked at 16-16 at the end of the opening period.
The second period featured much of the same tit-for-tat action, but the Badgers got the edge by leading 16-12 in second-quarter points.
The second half picked up in excitement as junior forward Chyna Cornwell set the tone with a layup 12 seconds into the third frame. Rutgers led Wisconsin 20-19 in third-quarter points but still trailed the Badgers 51-48.
Approximately two minutes into the final quarter, the Knights really seemed to come to life, staying aggressive inside the paint. The entire team worked together in this battle, never giving up on the prospect of victory.
At the 8:16 mark of the fourth quarter, Avery LaBarbera hit a three-pointer to give Wisconsin a 56-52 lead. Rutgers quickly drove down the court, and on the next possession, senior center Kassondra Brown hit a layup after being fouled. Brown missed her first free throw, but Cornwell was there for the big offensive board and tied the game up at 56.
Maty Wilke hit a big three-point shot at the 4:46 mark of the fourth quarter to tie the game up at 59. Shortly after, Wilke hit a jumper to give the Badgers another lead.
The Knights answered with a layup from Kaylene Smikle. A defensive stop and a foul put Smikle at the line, and she hit both of her shots from the charity stripe, making the score 63-61 in favor of Rutgers who did not give up its lead for the remainder of the quarter to the delight of the scarlet faithful.
Cornwell recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds on the afternoon.
In her postgame press conference, head coach Coquese Washington spoke highly of Cornwell’s performance.
"(Cornwell) is so consistent," Washington said. "I know what she is going to give us every game. I know she is going to battle on defense, I know she is going to give us close to a double-double, if not a double-double every game."
Three other Knights hit the double-digit mark in points against Wisconsin. Senior guard Awa Sidibe ended the game with 15 points, Brown scored 14 points and Smikle followed up with 13 points. Rutgers proved once again that it works together to get its wins and that every game is a full team effort.
The Knights will be back on the court on Thursday when they face Purdue at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the game being broadcasted on the Big Ten Network+ as well as 88.7 WRSU-FM.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
