PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- With a game-high 20 points by junior Tyler Scaife (Little Rock, Ark.) and a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds for senior Kahleah Copper (Philadelphia, Pa.), the Rutgers women's basketball team extended its win streak to three with a 65-26 victory over Savannah State on Sunday afternoon at the RAC.

The Scarlet Knights improved to an overall record of 8-3, having won seven of its last eight contests, while the Lady Tigers dropped to a mark of 2-5.

SSU was led by Kenyata Hendrix with 14 points, including 12 points from the three-point range. Tiyonda Davis and Shanikwa Buie paced the squad with six total rebounds apiece.

For the second straight-game RU raced out to an 11-2 lead, with the Scarlet Knights opening with 11 uncontested points to start the game.

Scaife registered 10 consecutive points, including a 6-of-7 showing at the charity stripe, to give the Scarlet Knights a 21-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The RU momentum continued throughout the second quarter, as the Scarlet Knights outscored the Lady Tigers 16-5 in the frame and entered the locker room holding a commanding 37-7 lead at the half.

Returning from halftime, the Scarlet Knights went on an 8-0 run to generate a 45-7 lead. A three-pointer from Savannah State's Hendrix ended nearly an eight minute drought, marking the squad's first basket since the 6:31 mark of the second quarter

Rutgers extended its lead to 49-10, its largest of the night, as the clock marked 4:41 in the third. The Lady Tigers then discovered a 12-4 run across the next five minutes of play to bring the score to 53-22 with 9:34 to go in the game.

Despite the burst for Savannah State, RU maintained control, holding at least a 31-point cushion for the remainder of the contest.

The Rutgers women's basketball team will have a break for final exams before closing out the nonconference schedule with LSU on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. The game will air on BTN with Ed Cohen and Christy Winters Scott on the call.

KNIGHT NOTES
- The 26 points scored by Savannah State were the fewest by an RU opponent since holding Farmingdale State to 25 in an 85-25 victory on Feb. 11, 2009.
- Savannah State's 26 points are the fewest allowed by a Big Ten school this season. The previous low was in Purdue's 95-27 win over Incarnate Word.
- Rutgers held the Lady Tigers to single-digit scoring in three of Sunday's four quarters, including only two first quarter points. Savannah State was held to a scoreless second quarter against Florida in the Gator's 99-34 victory over the Lady Tigers on Nov. 24 of this season.
- Kahleah Copper orchestrated her third double-double of the year and eighth of her career with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
- With her 19 points, Copper moved into 11th all-time at Rutgers in scoring, surpassing Tasha Pointer (1997-01). She currently has 1,466 career points and needs 35 more points to crack the top 10.
- Tyler Scaife led all scorers with 20 points, her third-straight game with 20 or more points. Scaife has poured in 20 or more points in a game five times this season and 22 times in her career.
- With her 20 points, Scaife now has 1,199 career points and needs only six more points to become the 26th Scarlet Knight with 1,200 or more career points.
- Briyona Canty and Khadaizha Sanders both led RU with four assists each. Rutgers is averaging 15.3 assists per game in its current homestand.
- Aliyah Jeune returned to the court for the first time since the season opener. Jeune missed the last 10 games with a high ankle sprain.
- Alana Ferruggiaro made her first appearance on the hardwood since joining the Scarlet Knight roster last week. Ferruggiaro, a manager for the last three seasons, is a walk-on.
- Rutgers shot 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the free throw line, the Scarlet Knights best performance of the season. RU has shot 80 percent or better three times this season. Both Kahleah Copper and Shrita Parker when a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
- In the last two games, RU has gone 21-of-24 (.875) from the free throw line.
- In the current homestand, Rutgers opponents have averaged just 33.0 points per game.
- The Scarlet Knights scored a season-high 37 points off turnovers, 28 points in the paint and 20 fast break points.
- Rutgers captured a season-high 17 steals, the most since RU had 22 thefts against Penn State on Jan. 10, 2015. Scaife tied her career-high four steals in today's win. She also had for in the double overtime contest against LSU on Dec. 4, 2014.

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