Five-star freshman’s debut cut short in Rutgers women’s basketball’s season opener

Rutgers freshman Kiyomi McMiller‘s highly-anticipated debut lasted less than five minutes in Monday night‘s season-opening win against Manhattan.

McMiller left the game with 6:25 remaining in the first quarter after sustaining an eye injury and never checked back in.

Rutgers coach Coquese Washington said after the game that McMiller was not medically cleared to return. The five-star freshman was spotted on the bench in the third quarter icing her face as she cheered on her teammates.

“We have got to see how she responds overnight and then the next couple of days,” Washington said. “Hopefully she recovers fairly quickly.”

McMiller was hit in her right eye after colliding with a Manhattan player as she attempted to go for a steal.

Up until the moment she keeled over on the court while holding her face in pain, things were off to an exciting start for the Jordan Brand athlete.

McMiller scored the first official basket of her collegiate career — and the first points of the game — after dribbling between a pair of Manhattan defenders to hit a pullup jumper from the elbow.

A minute later, she sank a second jumper in the paint on a fastbreak to give Rutgers a 4-3 lead.

In Rutgers' exhibition win against Caldwell on Oct. 27, McMiller finished with 21 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Maryland native spent the last two seasons of her high school career at Life Center Academy in Burlington, N.J. She averaged 30.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, four assists and 2.8 steals as a senior.

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Joey Chandler may be reached at [email protected]