No. 21/24 WBB Hosts Davidson
Nov 29 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2014
TIP OFF
• Senior forward Betnijah Laney has had five straight double-doubles to start off the 2014-15 campaign. She poured in 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds vs. Colgate on Friday. It was Laney's 20th double-double of her career.
• Betnijah Laney is second nationally in rebounds per game (14.2) and defensive rebounds per game (10.0). She is also tied for the most double-doubles in the country with five this season.
• The Scarlet Knights enter their first season of Big Ten play. The Big Ten had 11 of the current 14 members reach postseason play. Five members are currently ranked among the top 25.
ABOUT DAVIDSON
A trio of Wildcats are averaging double figures through the first five games of the season. Hannah Early tops the stat sheet at 16.0 points along with 8.6 rebounds. Mackenzie Latt is hauling in a team-high 9.6 boards per game along with 14.0 points per contest. Additionally, Dakota Duke is averaging 10.8 points per game.
As a team, Davidson ranks 11th nationally in blocks per game a 6.4 rejections per contest.
Davidson is in its first season in the Atlantic-10 after spending the last 21 seasons as a member of the Southern Conference.
Last season, the Wildcats went 16-16 overall and reached the SoCon championship game. They return seven letterwinners and four of their five starters.
LAST TIME VS. DAVIDSON
Davidson, which entered the game shooting 36 percent from downtown and averaging 6.4 three-pointers a game, was held to only one 3-point field goal (1-of-13) in the contest.
Tyler Scaife led the Scarlet Knights in scoring by netting 16 points in the win. Betnijah Laney registered her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards, while Kahleah Copper added 11 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
Davidson's Laura Murphy drained the lone Wildcat 3-pointer of the game to put the Wildcats ahead 5-1 early, but from there on Rutgers controlled the game. A 9-2 run by the Scarlet Knights ensued, started by a response by Laney from beyond the arc. RU got into the paint with Christa Evans, who used her height advantage for looks at the basket to give the Scarlet Knights a lead for good at the 13:44 mark of the first half.
Shannon Eriksson closed the Davidson gap to within two, hitting one of two from the line, as Rutgers led 12-10 at the midway point. But from there Rutgers proceeded to outscore Davidson, 10-1, for its first double-digit lead of the game. Copper contributed six of her 11 points on the night in the run as RU led 22-11 with 5:49 left until halftime.
Over the final five minutes of the first half, Davidson never pulled closer than nine and RU extended its lead by as many as 15. The Scarlet Knights entered the half up, 32-21.
Rutgers came out of the locker room on fire, opening up second half action on a 15-0 run. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were unable to generate their first point of second half until 7:49 in on a free throw and did not register a field goal until the 11:38 mark. By then Rutgers had established a 47-24 advantage.
The Wildcats did not connect on a field goal over the game's final three minutes, as RU ended the night outscoring its opponent, 7-1, en route to tying its largest margin of victory this season.
Davidson's Murray was the lone Wildcat in double figures with 15 points.
STREAKING
Illinois-Chicago, who held the second longest active win streak with seven straight wins dating back to its WBI Championship run last season, had their win streak halted on Wednesday night with a 60-41 loss at Northwestern.
Louisville, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas A&M follow the Scarlet Knights with six straight wins. * Note: Georgia plays Tennessee Tech Saturday night.
ACTIVE WIN STREAKS:
BETTING DOUBLE
The senior forward led RU in scoring on Tuesday night at Wagner with 22 points, leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring after Tyler Scaife served as Rutgers' leading scorer in the first three games of the season. She was two points shy of her career-high in scoring. Laney has reached 24 points twice in her career, most recently in RU's win against Temple on Jan. 25, 2014.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Betnijah Laney, who led RU in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game last season, has not missed a beat and is hauling in 14.2 rebounds per game in 2014-15. She is second nationally in both defensive rebounds per game (10.0) and total rebounds per game (14.2).
Laney had 17 double digit rebounding efforts last season.
MORE ON THE GLASS
Scaife has reached double figure scoring in 32 of her 42 career appearance.
She opened her sophomore season with a game-high 23 points in RU's 76-52 win over St. Joseph's. With her 23 points against the Hawks, Scaife had her eighth 20+ point game of her career. Scaife shot 9-of-13 from the floor, including a perfect 6-of-6 in the second half, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Scaife also led the Scarlet Knights with 15 points in the win over Northeastern and a game-high 16 points in RU's first road win of the year at LSU last Saturday.
FROM SIXTH WOMAN TO STARTING LINEUP
Most recently, Canty set a new career-high in steals with six at Wagner on Nov. 25. She surpassed her previous-high of four last recorded at Bowling Green in the WNIT on March 31, 2014.
DOUBLE DISHING
Canty has registered five or more assists in four of RU's five games to date.
All-Time Rutgers WBB Coaching Records (By Wins)
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB ), Twitter (www.twitter.com/RutgersWBB ) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/RutgersWBB ) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
| Game Six: #21/24 Rutgers vs. Davidson | |
| Date | Sunday, November 30, 2014 |
| Time | 1 p.m. ET |
| Location | Piscataway, N.J.| RAC |
| Tickets | Click To Purchase |
| Video | BTN Plus Lou Brogno & Austin Johnson |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WCTC (1450 AM) Danny Breslauer & Mark Peterson Rutgers Student Radio - WRSU (88.7 FM) Dylan MacKinnon & Matt Salvatore |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Davidson |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Davidson |
| Social Media | @RutgersWBB  | Facebook/RutgersWBB  |
| Promotions | Black Friday Ticket Offer - Buy Two, Get Two Free |
TIP OFF
• The 2014 WNIT Champions are off to a 5-0 start as they kicked off a three-game homestand with a 60-44 victory over Colgate on Friday afternoon. RU will be playing in its third game in six days.
• The Scarlet Knights currently have the longest active win streak in the country. Rutgers has won 11 games dating back to last season's WNIT Championship run.
• RU had two in double figures in Friday's win over the Red Raiders. Betnijah Laney and Kahleah Copper both poured in 17 points in the victory.
• Senior forward Betnijah Laney has had five straight double-doubles to start off the 2014-15 campaign. She poured in 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds vs. Colgate on Friday. It was Laney's 20th double-double of her career.
• Betnijah Laney is second nationally in rebounds per game (14.2) and defensive rebounds per game (10.0). She is also tied for the most double-doubles in the country with five this season.
• The Scarlet Knights enter their first season of Big Ten play. The Big Ten had 11 of the current 14 members reach postseason play. Five members are currently ranked among the top 25.
ABOUT DAVIDSON
The Scarlet Knights and Wildcats will be meeting on the hardwood for the third straight season. Davidson comes to the RAC on a three-game win streak and sporting a 3-2 overall record.
After opening the season with losses at Furman (67-60) and at home against USC (99-64), the Wildcats have been on a role. Davidson has rattled off wins over Gardner-Webb (68-67), Mount St. Mary's (67-62) and most recently, High Point (76-57), on Tuesday night.
A trio of Wildcats are averaging double figures through the first five games of the season. Hannah Early tops the stat sheet at 16.0 points along with 8.6 rebounds. Mackenzie Latt is hauling in a team-high 9.6 boards per game along with 14.0 points per contest. Additionally, Dakota Duke is averaging 10.8 points per game.
As a team, Davidson ranks 11th nationally in blocks per game a 6.4 rejections per contest.
Davidson is in its first season in the Atlantic-10 after spending the last 21 seasons as a member of the Southern Conference.
Last season, the Wildcats went 16-16 overall and reached the SoCon championship game. They return seven letterwinners and four of their five starters.
LAST TIME VS. DAVIDSON
The Rutgers women's basketball team rolled to a 66-35 victory over Davidson at Belk Arena in its final nonconference road contest of the 2013-14 season on Dec. 4, 2013.
Davidson, which entered the game shooting 36 percent from downtown and averaging 6.4 three-pointers a game, was held to only one 3-point field goal (1-of-13) in the contest.
Tyler Scaife led the Scarlet Knights in scoring by netting 16 points in the win. Betnijah Laney registered her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards, while Kahleah Copper added 11 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
Davidson's Laura Murphy drained the lone Wildcat 3-pointer of the game to put the Wildcats ahead 5-1 early, but from there on Rutgers controlled the game. A 9-2 run by the Scarlet Knights ensued, started by a response by Laney from beyond the arc. RU got into the paint with Christa Evans, who used her height advantage for looks at the basket to give the Scarlet Knights a lead for good at the 13:44 mark of the first half.
Shannon Eriksson closed the Davidson gap to within two, hitting one of two from the line, as Rutgers led 12-10 at the midway point. But from there Rutgers proceeded to outscore Davidson, 10-1, for its first double-digit lead of the game. Copper contributed six of her 11 points on the night in the run as RU led 22-11 with 5:49 left until halftime.
Over the final five minutes of the first half, Davidson never pulled closer than nine and RU extended its lead by as many as 15. The Scarlet Knights entered the half up, 32-21.
Rutgers came out of the locker room on fire, opening up second half action on a 15-0 run. The Wildcats, meanwhile, were unable to generate their first point of second half until 7:49 in on a free throw and did not register a field goal until the 11:38 mark. By then Rutgers had established a 47-24 advantage.
The Wildcats did not connect on a field goal over the game's final three minutes, as RU ended the night outscoring its opponent, 7-1, en route to tying its largest margin of victory this season.
Davidson's Murray was the lone Wildcat in double figures with 15 points.
STREAKING
After Stanford halted Connecticut's win streak at 47 with a 88-86 win last Monday night, Rutgers took over as has having the nation's longest active win streak.
Illinois-Chicago, who held the second longest active win streak with seven straight wins dating back to its WBI Championship run last season, had their win streak halted on Wednesday night with a 60-41 loss at Northwestern.
Louisville, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas A&M follow the Scarlet Knights with six straight wins. * Note: Georgia plays Tennessee Tech Saturday night.
ACTIVE WIN STREAKS:
11 Games - Rutgers
Streak Start: 3/29 - vs. Delaware (WNIT First Round)
Last Loss: 3/9 - vs. UConn (AAC Semifinals)
BETTING DOUBLE
Senior forward Betnijah Laney has opened 2014-15 with five straight double-double performances and is tied as the nation's leader in the category along with Alisia Jenkins of USF .
Laney's 2014-15 Double-Doubles
St. Joseph's - 10 pts, 13 reb
Northeastern - 14 pts, 13 reb
at LSU - 10 pts, 16 reb
at Wagner - 22 pts, 11 reb
Colgate - 17 pts, 18 reb
Laney currently has 20 double-doubles in her career.
The senior forward led RU in scoring on Tuesday night at Wagner with 22 points, leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring after Tyler Scaife served as Rutgers' leading scorer in the first three games of the season. She was two points shy of her career-high in scoring. Laney has reached 24 points twice in her career, most recently in RU's win against Temple on Jan. 25, 2014.
The Clayton, Delaware native captured 15 double-doubles last season, the most double figure scoring and rebounding games since Kia Vaughn, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, had 12 double-doubles during the 2006-07 season.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Rutgers has won the battle of the boards in all five games to date.
Betnijah Laney, who led RU in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game last season, has not missed a beat and is hauling in 14.2 rebounds per game in 2014-15. She is second nationally in both defensive rebounds per game (10.0) and total rebounds per game (14.2).
Laney had 17 double digit rebounding efforts last season.
MORE ON THE GLASS
In her fifth double-double of the year, Betnijah Laney has one of the best performances by a Scarlet Knight on the boards in recent years.
Her 18 rebounds were the most by a RU student-athlete since former teammate Monique Oliver grabbed 19 at Miami on Dec. 5, 2011. Additionally, Laney's 18 board were the most by a Scarlet Knight at the RAC since Oliver recorded 17 against Georgetown on Dec. 9, 2010.
Top Rebounding Performances (since 2005)
Kia Vaughn - 21 at Cincinnati (1/22/08)
Monique Oliver - 19 at Miami (12/5/11)
Betnijah Laney - 18 Colgate (11/28/14)
Monique Oliver - 17 Georgetown (12/9/10)
Kia Vaughn - 17 Georgetown (2/7/09)
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Tyler Scaife, last year's American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, has led the Scarlet Knights in scoring in three of the season's first five games and is averaging a team-leading 15.0 points per game.
Scaife has reached double figure scoring in 32 of her 42 career appearance.
She opened her sophomore season with a game-high 23 points in RU's 76-52 win over St. Joseph's. With her 23 points against the Hawks, Scaife had her eighth 20+ point game of her career. Scaife shot 9-of-13 from the floor, including a perfect 6-of-6 in the second half, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Scaife also led the Scarlet Knights with 15 points in the win over Northeastern and a game-high 16 points in RU's first road win of the year at LSU last Saturday.
FROM SIXTH WOMAN TO STARTING LINEUP
Briyona Canty, who served as Rutgers' "sixth woman" a year ago, has a successful start at point guard in four of the first five games for the Scarlet Knights.
Canty captured her second career double-double with 12 points and a new career-high 10 assists in the win over Northeastern on Nov. 18. It was the second straight game the redshirt junior guard had reset her career mark in assists. She performed her first double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in RU's WNIT semifinal win at USF.
In the season opener against St. Joseph's Canty tied her career-high in points (16) and also added a then career-high eight assists. The redshirt junior guard also captured 16 points in the Scarlet Knights' American Athletic Conference semifinal appearance against eventual national champion, UConn.
Most recently, Canty set a new career-high in steals with six at Wagner on Nov. 25. She surpassed her previous-high of four last recorded at Bowling Green in the WNIT on March 31, 2014.
DOUBLE DISHING
Briyona Canty's 10 assists in RU's win over Northeastern on Nov. 18 marked the first double digit assist game for a Scarlet Knight since Syessence Davis dished out the ball 10 times against Providence on Jan. 16, 2013.
Canty has registered five or more assists in four of RU's five games to date.
LIVING IN THE PAINT
Rutgers continues to dominate the paint just like they did last season.
RU is averaging 36.4 points in the paint through its first five games of 2014-15, which included a season-high 50 in Tuesday's win at Wagner. It was the Scarlet Knights highest total inside since netting 52 paint points in last year's win over the Seahawks on Dec. 13, 2013, as well as against UCF on Feb. 15, 2014.
PAINT POINTS
St. Joseph's - 34
Northeastern - 36
at LSU - 38
at Wagner - 50
Colgate - 34
RU scored 30 or more points in the paint in 27 of its 37 games last season. Rutgers registered 40 or more points inside seven times during the 2013-14 campaign, including a season-high of 52 against Wagner (Dec. 13) and UCF (Feb. 15).
PROTECTING HOME COURT
The Scarlet Knights have had an outstanding track record of success at home during the previous 12 seasons under head coach C. Vivian Stringer. RU is currently 3-0 at home and went 15-3 in 2013-14. Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 153-23 at the RAC.
The squad's 15 home wins in 2013-14 season tied for the most wins at the RAC under the 20-year tenure of C. Vivian Stringer. The Scarlet Knights also went 15-3 at home in the 1998-99 season.
400-WIN CLUB
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer won her 400th career victory "On The Banks" at Houston on Feb. 11, 2014. Stringer needs 21 more wins to surpass Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz as RU's all-time winningest women's basketball coach.
All-Time Rutgers WBB Coaching Records (By Wins)
Theresa Grentz - 434-150/ (1977-95) 19 seasons
C. Vivian Stringer - 414-205/(1995-present) 20 seasons
Ellen Johns - 6-5/(1974-75) One season
Dottie McCrea - 5-9/(1975-76) One season
TURNOVERS
Scarlet Knight opponents are averaging 21.4 miscues per game.
In the season opener, RU committed just 11 turnovers while the Hawks had 21 miscues leading to 24 points for Rutgers.
RU turned over the ball on 12 times on Friday afternoon against Colgate, including only four turnovers in the first half.
OPPONENT TURNOVERS
St. Joseph's - 21
Northeastern - 22
at LSU - 21
at Wagner - 25
Colgate - 18
UP NEXT
The Rutgers homestand concludes with #11/12 North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB ), Twitter (www.twitter.com/RutgersWBB ) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/RutgersWBB ) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on both social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
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Players Mentioned
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