In the last game against Monmouth, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-0, 0-0 B1G) star guard Kaylene Smikle struggled shooting and wasn’t ever able to establish her momentum and rhythm. That said, on Thursday evening, Smikle proved to come out with a mission against Wagner (0-1, 0-0 NEC). Not only was Smikle much more aggressive, but she managed to affect the game on the boards as well. In fact, Smikle recorded her first career double-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and she shot 12-14 from the free-throw line.
“I think I’m just trusting the process and I’m getting more comfortable out there,” Smikle expressed in the press conference.
It was clear that Rutgers wished to improve from their season opener against Monmouth. Although defeating Wagner in dominating fashion, 86-43, their was still room to improve. One of the notable changes throughout the game was the rotations within the lineup. Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington wanted to exploit Wagner’s lack of size, therefore she partnered both veteran center Chyna Cornwell and veteran forward Kassondra Brown together on the court.
“It’s a luxury to have the two-headed monster down there, they both play really tough and they’re great on the boards,” Washington stated. “They always allow us to have that toughness in the game at all times.”
Destiny Adams Records Back-to-Back Double-Doubles
This season, Destiny Adams has displayed her capabilities in both games only proving her doubters wrong. Adams remained a force on the boards and was an even bigger threat with the ball in her hands in position to score. Adams managed to record 17 points and 12 rebounds in this contest. In this game, the Scarlet Knights recorded 55 rebounds overall as a team, with two players finishing with double-digit rebounding games. Overall, she continued to prove she can impact the game in so many facets, which only allows more opportunities for her teammates.
“I liked our pace in game two versus game one, and the biggest thing is I thought we shared the ball a lot more,” Washington continued. “This game, we did a better job of finding each other and giving each other easier shots.”
The highlights just keep comin’ 🤯#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/pD5tHj6Sog
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) November 10, 2023
Biggest Takeaways for the Scarlet Knights
The amount of turnovers the defense forced for the Seahawks ultimately opened up the floor for easy transition opportunities. Not to mention, the dominant rebounding allowed ample opportunities for the offense to streak out in transition as well. Washington emphasized the speed and pace of the game she likes for the girls to play. However, she mentioned this will take time and as the season progresses, it will happen naturally.
As a team, RU collected 55 rebounds, 21 assists, 12 steals and nine blocks in its all-around performance. Fortunately, the team will be tested this upcoming Monday when they face off with the Auburn Tigers at home. As they continue to progress, this will be a real determining factor and a great opportunity to send an even bigger message to the remaining teams throughout college basketball.
“It’s going to be a challenge, they’re an SEC team, and they possess the size and speed, especially in the backcourt,” Washington explained defending Auburn in the upcoming matchup. “They picked up a couple of transfers, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge. At the moment, we haven’t scouted, however I feel like we’re going to go into this game confident with who we are and how we play.”
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