Box Score | Video: Post-Game Interview with Betnijah Laney
BATON ROUGE, La.
Final Stats
BATON ROUGE, La. - After 15 lead changes and eight ties, No. 22/24 Rutgers was able to use a run midway through the second half to grab its first road victory of the season with a 64-57 win over LSU on Saturday afternoon.
Leading by four, 52-48, with 6:41 remaining, the Scarlet Knights took off on a 9-0 run to keep the game out of reach for the host Tigers. LSU would not draw closer than seven the rest of the way.
The victory improved RU to 3-0 on the year, while LSU fell to 2-3 overall.
A total of four Scarlet Knights finished the game with double figure scoring, as sophomore Tyler Scaife (Little Rock, Ark.) paced the unit with 16 points. Senior Betnijah Laney (Clayton, Del.) poured in her third straight double with 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Backed by a 5-of-5 shooting performance from the charity stripe, Rachel Hollivay (Columbus, Miss.) followed with 13 points as did redshirt junior Briyona Canty (Willingboro, N.J.) from off the bench.
After a back-and-fourth battle on the floor, the Scarlet Knights ended the first half on a 6-0 run to go into the locker room up 32-27.
For nearly an eight minute span, neither team was able to go ahead more than a point, until 1:35 left before the intermission when Hollivay knocked two down at the free throw line, giving RU the lead at 28-27. She then secured a layup, followed by a put-back from senior Syessence Davis (Neptune, N.J.) in the final seconds to give Rutgers a five-point advantage at the half.
The Tigers took a brief lead early, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 6-2 to kick off the second half. Anne Jones capped the run to give her LSU squad a 35-34 lead with 16:37 to go.
On the next trip down the court, Canty knocked down a pair of free throw to give RU the lead for good.
The Scarlet Knights extended that lead to as many as seven, 50-43, with 8:52 remaining, however the Tigers managed to close the gap. LSU pulled to within four, two minutes later off a Jenna Deemer free throw and layup by Akilah Bethel.
Ahead, 52-48, Hollivay kicked off the 9-0 run muscling inside for two of 38 paint points for the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers remains on the road, but with a much shorter trip. The Scarlet Knights travel to Staten Island, N.Y. to meet Wagner on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers used its third different starting line-up of the season. Getting the starting nod against the Tigers were Rachel Hollivay, Kahleah Copper, Tyler Scaife, Syessence Davis and Betnijah Laney.
- The Scarlet Knights hold the nation's longest active win streak with nine-straight wins dating back to last season's WNIT championship run.
- RU begins the season at 3-0 for the second straight season and third in last four years.
- Betnijah Laney posted her 18th career double-double and third straight of the season with 10 points and 16 rebounds. Her 16 rebounds set a new career mark surpassing her previous career-high of 15 against Houston on Jan. 4, 2014. That was also the last time a Scarlet Knight had 15 or more rebounds in a game.
- Tyler Scaife led RU with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting. She has led the Scarlet Knights in scoring in all three games to date and has been the Scarlet Knights leading scorer in the last five-straight games.
- Rachel Hollivay, who finished with 10 points, finished a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. It was her best effort from the line since going 8-of-11 (.857) in the Rutgers' win over Howard last year.
- Hollivay also captured five blocks and now has 160 career rejections. She needs 18 more blocks to move into fifth all-time.
- Briyona Canty came off the bench to add 13 points. She has scored in double figures in five of her last six games dating back to last season. Her 12 field goal attempts ties her career mark. She attempted 12 shots three other times, most recently at Temple on Jan. 25, 2014.
- A Rutgers opponent finished with 20 turnovers for the third straight game. The Tigers committed 21 turnovers resulting in 13 points for the Scarlet Knights. Through the first three games of the season, RU opponents are averaging 21.3 miscues per contest.
- Of the Scarlet Knights' 64 points scored, a season-high 38 came from the paint. RU has scored 30 or more points inside 30 of its last 40 contests, including all three games this season.
- RU had a season-high 12 steals with Betnijah Laney, Tyler Scaife and Briyona Canty each recording three thefts. Scaife's trio of steals tied her career mark, the seventh time she has done so.
- Syessence Davis and Betnijah Laney both made their 100th appearance as a Scarlet Knight in Saturday's win joining classmate Christa Evans in the century mark in donning an RU uniform.
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