Lisa Thompson readies for big role in Rutgers women's basketball's games against Delaware State, Lafayette
Freshman guard Lisa Thompson is prepared for an expanded role on the Rutgers women's basketball team in its upcoming games against Delaware State and Lafayette.
After it was announced that sophomore guard Mya Petticord would not be traveling with the Scarlet Knights (3-5, 0-0) to Las Vegas for the South Point Classic games against Texas Tech and Boise State last Friday and Saturday, Thompson became the team's starting point guard.
Thompson was tasked with filling the ball-handling and energy gaps for Petticord while she was away. The freshman tallied 7 points, two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal against the Lady Raiders (7-0, 0-0) in 26 minutes of play. She followed that up with a 10-point performance against the Broncos (5-1, 0-0) where she went 4 for 5 from the free throw line in 31 minutes of action.
"I tried to be that point guard that she was when she was here," Thompson said on stepping into an expanded role for Petticord in Vegas. "I tried to get the team on the same page and lead in a way that she does when she's not here."
Head coach Coquese Washington addressed Petticord's status. Through her first six games with Rutgers, Petticord averaged 7.7 points and served as the Knights' main floor general.
"She's day to day. Hopefully, we'll get her back sooner rather than later," Washington said. "(It was) another one of those things where we found out, I think, the day before we left that she wasn't able to travel. And so (Thompson) was kind of thrown into the starting point guard role, and I thought she performed pretty admirably, all things considered."
Thompson usually comes off the bench as the team's backup point guard, so Washington had no qualms about giving the guard the start in Vegas.
"(Thompson has) got some speed. She's got some pretty good ball-handling," Washington said. "It's just a matter of her continuing to get adjusted to the pace of college play and getting accustomed to the depth of understanding you have to have on this level versus the high school level."
Thompson discussed what she has learned from the older Rutgers players that have helped her adjust to the collegiate level.
"I've learned that if things aren't always going the right way in the moment, just to stay present and to not let outside factors concern what you're doing in the moment," Thompson said.
While Petticord's status is up in the air, Thompson is projected to once again be the one in charge of ball-handling duties when the Knights play against the Hornets (0-5, 0-0) on Wednesday at 11 a.m. and the Leopards (3-3, 0-0) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Both games will be played at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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