Jan. 25, 2015 Box Score | VIDEO: Post-Game Press Conference
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 25/23 Rutgers women's basketball team picked up a top 25 victory as the Scarlet Knights topped No. 21/RV Minnesota, 66-61, on Sunday night at the RAC.
Tyler Scaife (Little Rock, Ark.) led the Scarlet Knights with a season-high 28 points, marking her seventh game this season with 20+ scoring. Betnijah Laney (Clayton, Del.) followed with 15 points, while Kahleah Copper (Philadelphia, Pa.) added in 13 of her own.
Minnesota was paced by Amanda Zahui B. with a game-high 36 points and 15 rebounds. Carlie Wagner rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Gophers with 12 points.
Rutgers opened the first ten minutes of play outscoring Minnesota, 25-5, but the Gophers gained momentum for a 13-3 run and cut their deficit to eight, 28-20, with 4:46 to go in the first half.
RU and Minnesota would go wire-to-wire to close the stanza, but the Scarlet Knights were able to carry a 37-31 advantage into the locker room.
Returning from half, Minnesota managed to pull within five on three occasions. After the Gophers cut their deficit to 49-44 with 10:54 left to play, RU would use a 9-2 run over the next four minutes of play for a 12-point cushion. Scaife capped the run going inside to give her Scarlet Knights a 58-46 edge with 6:06 left to play.
The Gophers, however, would respond by holding the Scarlet Knights scoreless for nearly the next five minutes. Minnesota rattled off eight answered points as RU clung on to a 58-54 lead with 3:41 to go.
On Minnesota's next possession, the Gophers were unable to connect on three different looks and Briyona Canty (Willingboro, N.J.) came down the other end to put a stop to the drought to put Rutgers up, 60-54, with 1:07 to go.
Down the stretch RU, Canty and Scaife both knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Scarlet Knights an eight point, 62-54, lead with 40 seconds left.
While a lay-up by Minnesota's Zahui and three by Mikayla Bailey, made it a three-point game with 16 seconds remaining, Copper took off after taking the ball from Canty for a fastbreak to seal the five-point victory.
Up next, the Rutgers women's basketball team travels to Purdue for a mid-week contest on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. The game will air on BTN.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Sunday's starting lineup was Kahleah Copper, Tyler Scaife, Ariel Butts and Betinjah Laney. It was the fourth time this starting five has been used.
- Rutgers improved to 2-4 against the top 25 with the win over Minnesota, who is ranked at No. 21 in this week's Associated Press Poll. It was RU's first win at home against a ranked team and first since a 61-58 victory over No. 16/15 Georgia on Dec. 21, 2013. The Scarlet Knights still have No. 16/15 Nebraska and a rematch with No. 7/6 Maryland left, as well a meeting with Northwestern, a squad receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
- Tyler Scaife finished with a season-high 28 points, one-point shy of her career-high. She had a career-high 29 points vs. Seton Hall in the third round of the WNIT last season. Scaife hit double figures with 12 minutes to go in the first half. She ended the game 12-of-21 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line.
- Betnijah Laney added in 15 points along with six rebounds. She shot 6-of-13 from the field. With her 15 points, Laney moved into sole possession of 25th on the all-time scoring leaders list and now has 1,177 points. Her six rebounds bring her career total to 775. Laney is now six rebounds shy of surpassing June Olkowksi (1978-82) for eighth on the all-time rebounding leaders list.
- Kahleah Copper, who was honored for netting her 1,000th career point in RU's last game, finished the night with 13 points going 6-of-17 from the floor. She moved into 34th on the all-time scoring leaders list with 1,015 career points.
- Briyona Canty dished the ball out eight times, the most assists by the redshirt junior guard since handing the ball out eight times at No. 25 Arkansas on Dec. 7. In the last two games - at Wisconsin and vs. Minnesota, Canty has averaged 6.5 assists per game. She has handed the ball out five or more times in 10 games this season and 17 times in her career.
- Christa Evans finished the game with a season-high 23 minutes, her most minutes since playing 22 minutes in the double overtime game with No. 6 UNC on Dec. 4.
- Syessence Davis notched two steals to bring her career total to 251. She is now seven thefts shy of moving past Vicky Picott (1987-91) for seventh on RU's all-time steals leaders list.
- The Scarlet Knights committed 12 turnovers against the Golden Gophers. RU has registered 15 or fewer miscues in nine of the 19 games this season. In the last two games, Rutgers has averaged 10.5 turnovers per game.
- Rutgers shot 10-of-13 from the line (76.9 percent) vs. Minnesota, the 10th time the Scarlet Knights have shot 75 percent or better from the charity stripe and fifth time in the last six contests. In the last six games, RU has combined to go 79.6 percent from the line (78-of-98). Scaife, Canty and Rachel Hollivay each went a perfect 2-of-2 at the free throw line.
- Rutgers was outrebounded for only the fifth time this season as the Golden Gophers held a 48-35 advantage on the boards. RU was led by Copper, Laney and Syessence Davis with six rebounds a piece.
- Minnesota's Amanda Zahui B.'s 36 were the most by an RU opponent this season and most since Miami's Riquna Williams scored 37 in a double overtime win over the Scarlet Knights in Dec. 5, 2011. Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State had previous scored 33 in Rutgers' 85-68 loss on Jan. 1.
- The Rutgers coaching staff wore green and members of the Scarlet Knights sported green shoelaces in support of Kent State head coach Danielle O'Banion and her fight with lymphoma.
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