Rutgers Women's Basketball Handles La Salle 75-62 to Move to 2-0

Rutgers women's basketball controls the glass 48-39 and builds a 20-point lead in a 75-62 victory over La Salle.

Rutgers sophomore guards Mya and Mia Pauldo pose for a photo with 7-year-old Aubrey Mott of Paterson, their hometown. State senator Benjie Wimberly arranged for a busload of Paterson Recreation kids to attend the home opener on Nov. 2, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball team secured a commanding 75-62 victory over the La Salle Explorers on Wednesday at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. Establishing relentless defensive ball pressure early and finding higher offensive execution in the second half, Rutgers controlled the game state from the opening tip. With the win, the Scarlet Knights improved to 2-0 on the young season (2-0 at home), while La Salle dropped to 0-1 (0-1 away).

Rutgers dictated the game state virtually from start to finish, leading for 94 percent of the contest and building a maximum cushion of 20 points. La Salle held the lead for a mere 2 percent of the game, briefly holding a two-point margin in the opening minutes before Rutgers asserted its physical leverage by controlling the interior glass and denying dribble-penetration.

Sophomore guard Mia Pauldo served as the primary engine for the Scarlet Knights' half-court offense and transition game. Displaying exceptional floor generalship, Pauldo poured in a game-high 22 points while dishing out 6 assists, repeatedly cracking La Salle's perimeter containment to orchestrate open looks and sustain Rutgers' offensive rhythm.

Quarter-by-Quarter Game Flow

The opening period unfolded as a low-possession defensive grind, with Rutgers establishing a 12-6 advantage by locking down La Salle’s perimeter shooters and forcing contested jump shots. The second quarter saw both squads exchange quick transition baskets in a tight 17-16 frame, enabling the Scarlet Knights to carry a 29-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Offensive pace accelerated dramatically in the second half as both coaching staffs made halftime adjustments. The Scarlet Knights answered every Explorer push through efficient bench scoring, highlighted by Zennia Thomas and Chikae Desdunes, preserving a comfortable double-digit buffer through the final buzzer.

DONE DEAL ⚔️#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/qpxMNnikVj

— Rutgers Women’s Basketball (@RutgersWBB) November 5, 2026

Individual Standouts: Pauldo Leads Rutgers to Victory

Rutgers displayed a balanced scoring matrix that compromised La Salle’s defensive rotations, anchored by Pauldo's high-volume backcourt leadership. Navigating La Salle's drop coverage, Pauldo dictated the tempo across 36 minutes of action, scoring a game-high 22 points on 10-of-22 shooting while maintaining a solid 6-to-4 assist-to-turnover ratio alongside three rebounds and two steals. In the starting lineup, Jaylah Lampley set an active physical tone with 11 points (4-of-9 FG) and three rebounds in 24 minutes.

The bench unit further extended the Scarlet Knights' leverage, as Zennia Thomas provided instant efficiency with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and a perfect 2-of-2 from the free-throw line in just 12 minutes, while guard Chikae Desdunes supplemented the reserves with eight points (including two 3-pointers) in 27 minutes.

Interior depth was fortified off the bench by forward Imani Lester, who posted 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in 19 minutes, anchoring the back-line defense and eliminating easy baseline layups.

Rutgers leveraged its frontcourt length to gain decisive interior control. By pulling down 18 offensive rebounds, the Scarlet Knights generated persistent second-chance possessions that wore down La Salle's interior defense. Tara Daye (7 offensive rebounds) and Zachara Perkins (5 offensive rebounds) routinely established high-post positioning and inside leverage, elevating Rutgers' overall field-goal conversion rate to 43 percent (29-of-67) while holding La Salle to 34 percent (20-of-59) from the floor.

The Scarlet Knights executed aggressive closeout adjustments to eliminate La Salle's rhythm from beyond the arc. Rutgers pinched in the help slots to cut off driving lanes while recovering quickly to contest spot-up shooters. This disciplined perimeter rotation held the Explorers to a sub-par 19 percent (5-of-26) from three-point range, preventing La Salle from making quick scoring runs via long-range field goals.

The Scarlet Knights accumulated 28 personal fouls and surrendered 32 free-throw attempts to La Salle. However, severe charity-stripe inefficiency by the Explorers, who converted just 17-of-32 attempts (53 percent), proved fatal to their comeback hopes. Leaving 15 points uncollected at the foul line prevented La Salle from capitalizing on Rutgers' foul trouble, allowing Mia Pauldo and the Scarlet Knights to match La Salle’s 20-point fourth quarter point-for-point to lock up the 13-point win.

Rutgers returns to action on Sunday when the Scarlet Knights welcome the Indiana State Sycamores to Jersey Mike’s Arena. The Scarlet Knights will look to continue its strong start to the season on its home court, while Indiana State presents an opportunity for the Scarlet Knights to further sharpen their execution on both ends of the floor. With home-court advantage and early-season confidence on their side, Rutgers will aim to deliver another complete performance as they continue their non-conference schedule.

Stay up to date on the Scarlet Knights by bookmarking  Rutgers On SI.