Only a game into the 2010-11 season, the women’s basketball team will be challenged by Rutgers in one of its toughest games of the year. Rutgers (0-2) was one of only two teams to defeat Princeton (1-0) in the regular season last year.
During last year’s matchup, Princeton lost control of a 10-point lead over the Scarlet Knights in the first half and was eventually defeated 60-50.
“In any game, teams make runs. Last year [Rutgers] made one and we were not able to get back into it,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “This year we need to concentrate and play hard for 40 minutes, not 35.”
Princeton has historically fared poorly against Rutgers, with an overall record of 3-14. Princeton has lost its past 11 games against the Scarlet Knights, and the last time Princeton was able to come away with a win against its Garden State rival was in 1977. Rutgers’ two losses this year were to a very strong University of California, Berkeley, team and No. 3 Stanford.
Rutgers does not have a single senior on its roster. The Scarlet Knights lost guard Brittany Ray, who was the centerpiece of the team’s offense last year, to graduation.
This year’s Rutgers team is led by guard Khadijah Rushdan, who averaged 9.0 points per game last season and finished the year with 116 assists and 56 steals. Rushdan has totaled 15 points and 11 assists in the first two games of the current season. She scored eight points in Rutgers’ victory over Princeton last season.
Junior guard Nikki Speed averaged 3.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists during the 2009-10 season, and she is expected to play a significantly larger role in Rutgers’ offense this year.
Sophomore Monique Oliver is taking over as Rutgers’ center. She averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last year and had a team best .608 shooting percentage.
The Tigers are expecting a fight for the paint throughout the match. “The game is played from the inside out,” Banghart said. “We need to control the inside.”
Controlling the center should be easier than in previous years, as Rutgers graduated Rashidat Junaid, who played in that position last year and scored 12 points in last season’s matchup against the Tigers.
Banghart said the key to defeating Rutgers is capitalizing on Princeton’s screen-based offense. Rutgers is not used to playing against the Tigers’ particular offensive set up, which could give the team an edge.
Princeton is coming off a blowout 78-37 win against Fairleigh Dickinson last weekend. The Tigers did not hold any opponent below 38 points throughout the entire 2009-10 season.
Twelve players on the 13-member squad scored during the game. Sophomore forward Niveen Rasheed sparked the team’s offense with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Senior co-capitan Addie Micir had 12 points, three assists and two steals during the match.
Banghart admitted that she was a little nervous about how the team’s defense would come together after initially discouraging preseason games.
“If we can execute our offense the way we know we can, then we are going to be really tough to guard,” Banghart explained. “If we don’t watch our rotations and get into a one-on-one situation, it’s going to be a long night.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 tonight at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.
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