Box Score Dec. 14, 2014

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PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 17/19 Rutgers women's basketball team fell to No. 11/13 Tennessee, 55-45, at the RAC on Sunday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights move to an 8-2 overall record, while the Lady Vols improve to a 7-2 mark on the year.

It was a low-scoring game for a Rutgers team that was putting up nearly 80 points a game and a Tennessee squad averaging 85 points per contest.

With Tennessee ahead early, 6-4, Rutgers responded with a 6-0 run and held the Lady Vols scoreless for nearly five minutes and without a field goal for nearly seven minutes.

Rutgers led 14-8 with 8:40 left in the half before going into a scoring drought of its own.

Tennessee scored 10 of the next 12 to take an 18-16 lead with 3:35 left until the intermission.

The Scarlet Knights, however, closed the half scoring seven of the final nine points to go up 23-20 going into the break.

Moving into the second half, the teams went basket-for-basket to open as Rutgers held the lead 27-24 two minutes in. Tennessee found a scoring burst, registering six straight points to take over the lead, 28-27. The Scarlet Knights were held without a bucket for nearly three minutes before Briyona Canty (Willingboro, N.J.) ended the drought, putting RU back in front 29-28 with 14:43 to go.

Trailing by three with 12:57 left, Tyler Scaife (Little Rock, Ark.) completed a successful three-point play to tie the game up, 34-34. Rutgers continued to push ahead as a Syessence Davis' (Neptune, N.J.) three-pointer with nine minutes left saw the Scarlet Knights with a 39-35 edge.

The Scarlet Knights led 43-39 before the Lady Vols rallied. A 10-0 run put Tennessee ahead for good as Cierra Burdick capped the run for a 49-43 Lady Vol advantage with 2:43 remaining.

Returning down the other end of the court, Betnijah Laney (Clayton, Del.) would lay the ball up and in to cut RU's deficit to four, 49-45, with 1:27 left, but it would the Scarlet Knights' final points of the game.

Tennessee would close out the afternoon with another 6-0 for the game's final score of 55-45.

Scaife registered a game-high 22 points as the lone Scarlet Knight in double figures. She missed out on a double-double hauling in a season-high nine rebounds in the loss.

Tennessee had three players finish the game with double-digit scoring, led by Ariel Massengale with 13. Isabelle Harrison recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Jasmine Jones added on 12 points in the win.

The Rutgers women's basketball team returns to the road for a match-up at Iona in its final nonconference test of the 2014-15 season on Saturday, Dec. 20. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m.

KNIGHT NOTES
- The starting lineup consisted of Rachel Hollivay, Kahleah Copper, Tyler Scaife, Briyona Canty and Betnijah Laney. RU has used the same starting five in the last seven straight games and in eight of the ten contests this season.
- Only one Scarlet Knight reached double figures against Tennessee. Tyler Scaife finished the game with 22 points. It was the fourth time this season she reached the 20+ point mark and 11th time in her career.
- Scaife was one rebound shy of a double-double. It would have been her first career double-double. Her nine rebounds is a new career-high surpassing her previous high of seven, which she last captured in RU's win at Wagner on Nov. 25.
- Rachel Hollivay hauled in a season-high 10 rebounds. Her previous high this season was seven, last captured in the Scarlet Knights' win over Colgate on Nov. 28. It marked Hollivay's fourth career game with double figure rebounding numbers.
- Hollivay also swatted away three Lady Vol shots. She now has 172 career blocks and needs six more to move into fifth on RU's career blocked shots list.
- Scaife matched her career-high with three blocks. She also had three rejections at Houston on February 11, 2014.
- Betnijah Laney finished with four points. Her four points give her 1,048 career points and is now four points shy of moving past Kristen Foley (1982-87) for 31st on Rutgers all-time scoring leaders list.
- Laney grabbed five rebounds in the loss. She now stands at 698 career rebounds and needs three more boards to surpass Janell William (1991-95) for 13th on the all-time Rutgers rebounding leaders list.
- Rutgers was outrebounded for the first time this season as the Lady Vols held a 54-42 advantage on the boards. Scaife and Hollivay combined for 19 or RU's 42 rebounds.
- Both Rutgers and Tennessee netted 22 points in the paint, RU's fewest of the season.
- The Scarlet Knights led 23-20 at the half and have led at the intermission in all 10 games to date.
- Tennessee's 20 first half points tied for the fewest Lady Vol points at the half this season. UT also had 20 first half points as they trailed Texas, 30-20, at the intermission in its 72-59 loss to the Longhorns.

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-RU-