Women’s Basketball Opens Regular Season at Rutgers

Tip-Off: 

• The Saint Peter's University women's basketball team is set to visit Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
• The Peacocks are coming off of a season that saw great success, as they reached the MAAC Championship game. The program had not done that since 2002.
• The contest is the first game of the regular season for the 2021-22 season.

Exhibition Excellence

• Saint Peter's opened up their Run Baby Run Arena account this past Wednesday, defeating NJCU in an exhibition by a score of 80-62.
• Graduate guard Kendrea Williams led the way in scoring for the Peacocks, scoring 25 on 10-of-14 shooting.
• Freshman Kaila Dawkins paced the Peacocks off the bench, scoring 13 points and adding four steals in her impressive debut.

The Series

• All-time: Rutgers leads, 1-0
• Streak: Rutgers (1)
• Last Saint Peter's Win: N/A
• Last Rutgers Win: 11/14/03 (L, 58-40, at RUT)

The 2020-21 Peacocks

• Saint Peter's finished last season with 13 overall wins and ten in the league circuit to represent the team's best finish in over a decade.
• Among the victories came marquee wins over some of the conference's top programs, including a 58-51 win against Regular Season Champion Marist on March 5. 
• The Peacocks then went on a run in the MAAC Tournament, beating Iona 61-50 and then Rider 72-67 a day later to reach the MAAC Championship for the first time since 2002.
• The Peacocks will look to capitalize on home-court advantage this season, as they had to play their 2020-21 home games at NJCU because of the arena renovation at Saint Peter's.

Co-Coach of the Year: Marc Mitchell

• Head coach March Mitchell was named MAAC Co-Coach of the Year last season, becoming the first coach since 1998 to claim the award.
• Mitchell, who started coaching at Saint Peter's in 2016, has improved the Peacocks record every year as a head coach.
• He took the team to the 2021 MAAC Championship game, something that hadn't been done since 2002.
• With Mitchell at the helm, the Peacock program will look to continue in the right direction this campaign.

Run It Back

• The Peacocks return nine players from the 2020-21 season. Graduate guard Kendrea Williams, along with senior guard Binta Salawu and sophomore forward Sky Castro will look to lead the Peacocks this season as the three returning starters from the 2020-21 season.
• Williams returns following an incredible showing all last season in which she led the team in scoring with three pointers made (52) and three point percentage (36%). The Piscataway native was also one of the most efficient scorers on the squad, finishing the season second on the team in points per game (11.9). Williams' season culminated in a selection to the 2020-21 All-MAAC Third Team.
• Salawu returns as one of the team's elite offensive weapons after a standout campaign last year. From Sydney, Australia, Salawu finished second in the team in assists, recording 62 on the year. She was also automatic from the free throw line, posting a team high 72% at the stripe.
• Castro returns as one of the elite defenders in the MAAC following her impressive rookie season. She led the team in blocked shots last season with 18, and she was second on the team in both total rebounds (220) and rebounds per game (7.9). Hailing from Queens, NY, Castro will look to improve on her freshman campaign and help the Peacocks return to the MAAC Championship.
• Saint Peter's returns six other players who played a key role in advancing to the MAAC Championship game last season. Senior guards Tyara McQueen and Nickelle O'Neil both appeared in over 20 games last season. McQueen averaged 2.7 points per game while O'Neil recorded 15 steals last season. Sophomore guard Rachel Kuhl made ten threes off the bench for the Peacocks last season, appearing in 25 games and starting in one. Sophomore forwards Taylor Abraham, Victoria Ikenasio, and Giah Moore also all played in over 20 games for the Peacocks last season. Abraham averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game, Ikenasio averaged 2.3 points and rebounds per game, and Moore 1.1 points and rebounds per game.

New Faces

• Saint Peter's welcomes five newcomers to the squad for the upcoming campaign, including two true-freshmen and two transfers. 
• The rookie class includes local prospect Kaila Dawkins, a forward from Brooklyn, NY. Guard Imani Felix comes cross country to Saint Peter's from Sacramento, CA. Guard Amaris Mills from Boston, Massachusetts rounds out the rookies.
• The two transfers include senior guard Kourtney Crane from Peoria, IL, who comes to Saint Peter's from Chicago State University. Junior forward Kassondra Brown, from Abington, PA, joins the Peacock squad from Rhode Island University.

Up Next:

• The Peacocks continue the regular season with a non-conference matchup on Friday, November 12 in Easton, Pennsylvania against Patriot League opponent Lehigh University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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