Nonconference Schedule Closes With Temple on Saturday
Dec 16 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team will try and make it two in-a-row when the Scarlet Knights close out the nonconference schedule on Saturday at 2 p.m. with Temple. The first 500 fans will receive a Rutgers beanie hat.
| Game Thirteen: Temple (6-3, 0-0 American) | |
| Date | Saturday, Dec. 17 |
| Time | 2:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | The RAC | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Video | BTN Plus (Lou Brogno) |
| Radio | Rutgers IMG Radio Network - WCTC 1450 AM (Ralph Bednarczyk & Mark Peterson) WRSU 88.7 FM (Sean Griffin and Nick Kosko) |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers ( Big Ten) | Temple ( American) |
| Stats | Rutgers | Temple |
| Tickets | ScarletKnights.com/Tickets |
| Promotions | Rutgers Beanie Hats (First 500 Fans) |
NONCONFERENCE COMES TO A CLOSE
The Rutgers women's basketball team closes out its 13-game nonconference schedule on Saturday afternoon with Temple, a former rival from the Atlantic 10 and American Athletic Conference days.
The Scarlet Knights will be looking to make it two in-a-row against the Owls after a 53-45 victory over in-state rival Seton Hall on Tuesday night.
Sophomore guard KK Sanders posted a career-high 17 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists almost becoming the third Scarlet Knight to register a triple double. Aliyah Jeune also reached double figures and had a career-high and team-leading 18 points.
The Scarlet Knights overcame an 11-point halftime deficit for the victory. Returning from the break, Jeune drained one from downtown to ignite a 15-3 run to return a lead for RU with three minutes left in the third quarter.
A three-pointer for Sanders would tie up the score, 41-41, early in the fourth quarter as the teams entered a point-for-point battle and traded the lead on two occasions.
A Jeune three-pointer put the Scarlet Knights back in front for good at 46-45 with 1:44 to go on the clock. Sanders closed out the game with seven points at the free throw line to secure the win for RU.
ABOUT TEMPLE
Temple improved to 6-3 overall after a 9 p.m. tipoff with #17/16 DePaul on Thursday that resulted in a 84-74 upset victory. It was the Owls first victory against a ranked nonconference opponent since November 24, 2007 when the Owls upset #22 Purdue 61-47.
Last season, Temple finished at 23-12 overall and 13-5 American, reaching the WNIT Quarterfinals
Senior guard Feyonda Fitzgerald, who was one of three Owls in double figures on Thursday night vs. DePaul, leads Temple at 19.6 pgg. She poured in 25 points against the Blue Demons.
Junior guard Alliya Butts is second on the squad in scoring at 17.7 ppg followed by classmate Tanaya Atkinson at 14.0 ppg along with a team second-best 7.9 rpg. Fellow junior guard Donnaizh Fountain rounds out the double figure scorers at 12.6 ppg along with a team-leading 9.4 rpg.
LAST TIME VS. TEMPLE
Behind senior forward Kahleah Copper's second double-double of the season, the Rutgers women's basketball team secured a 61-51 victory over Temple on Nov. 22, 2015 at the RAC.
Copper led the Scarlet Knights with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Rachel Hollivay added 10 points, four rebounds and five blocks to help RU secure the victory. As a team, RU shot 43 percent from the field and forced the Owls to shoot just 25 percent (18-of-71) from the floor.
Temple was led by Feyonda Fitzgerald, who paced all scorers with 27 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc. Alliya Butts followed with 18 points for the Owls in the loss.
After a slow start by both teams, the Scarlet Knights got on the board first thanks to Ariel Butts to give Rutgers a 2-0 lead at the 7:11 mark in the first quarter. From there, RU closed out the quarter on an 11-7 scoring run fueled by Copper, who scored four points on two layups during the stretch. Her fast-break layup at the 1:08 mark gave RU a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Rutgers continued to find open looks during the second quarter as Khadaizha Sanders drilled the Scarlet Knights first three-pointer of the contest to extend their lead, 16-7. Temple managed a few baskets, but guards Shrita Parker and Cynthia Hernandez drained back-to-back three-pointers to give RU a 24-11 advantage with 5:24 left in the quarter.
Down the stretch in the first half, Rutgers' defense was stifling, as the Scarlet Knights continuously forced the Owls to low-percentage shots as the shot clock wound down. RU took a 26-15 lead into halftime, holding the Owls to just 15 percent (6-of-40) shooting from the field during the first stanza.
The Scarlet Knights' defense continued its strong effort at the start of the third quarter. After RU forced another Temple shot clock violation on its second possession of the second half, Rutgers produced a quick 4-0 scoring run to make its edge 30-15.
Temple never let up as Butts made back-to-back layups for the Owls, making it 35-25 with 2:37 in the quarter. Temple would get the score to as close as nine, but another three-pointer from Hernandez and a layup from Hollivay made it 42-31 at the end of the third.
Both teams continued to exchange baskets in the fourth quarter, as Temple brought the gap within eight thanks to two three-pointers from guard Feyonda Fitzgerald. Her second long-distance basket made it 48-40 with 4:25 left in the game. Rutgers stretched the lead back out to 10, but Butts drilled two three-pointers to make it just a 54-50 contest at the 1:50 mark.
Tyler Scaife responded with a three-pointer of her own to extend the lead to 57-50. Both teams would change possessions during the final minute, but RU would hold at least a six-point margin for the final result.
MILESTONE NUMBERS
In the Dec. 3 win over Bucknell, the Rutgers women's basketball team played its 1300th game in history since beginning the program in 1974.
Since then, RU has gone 900-404 with the Scarlet Knights earning its 900th program victory in the 53-45 win over in-state rival Seton Hall on Dec. 13.
TAKING A LOOK BACK AT THE BEGINNING
Some things look a little different from when Rutgers captured its first-ever victory some 42 years ago.
Here's a look back at 1974:
Cost of gas: 55 cents
Average Cost of New Car: $3,750.00
Average Income: $13,900
Average Monthly Rent: $185
Top Christmas Toy: Tonka Toy Trucks
Top Song: The Way We Were - Barbara Streisand
Top Headlines:
Richard Nixon resigns from office following Watergate scandal
Muhammad Ali and George Foreman face off in the Rumble in the Jungle
55 mph speed limit is imposed to preserve gas usage
Work begins on the Alaskan pipeline
Born in 1974:
Christian Bale, Kate Moss, Steve Nash, Seth Green, Jillian Michaels, Alanis Morissette, Derek Jeter, Derek Fisher, Amy Adams, Jimmy Fallon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Seacrest.
TRIPLE DOUBLE TERRITORY
Sophomore guard KK Sanders flirted with a triple-double on Tuesday night against Seton Hall with 17 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.
Sanders would have been the first Scarlet Knight since Khadijah Rushdan in 2011 to perform the feat. Rushdan poured in 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Pittsburgh.
The only other Scarlet Knight to have recorded a triple double is Tasha Pointer.
Several Scarlet Knights have come close to a triple double over the last few years. Last season, former Scarlet Knight Briyona Canty was nearing triple double territory with 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds at Penn State.
Rachel Hollivay also nearly captured a triple-double against Howard on Nov. 22, 2013 with 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks as did Syessence Davis with 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists at Iona on Dec. 20, 2014.
KEYING IN ON KK SANDERS
Over the course of the last six games, KK Sanders has averaged 5.3 helpers per contest.
The sophomore guard is coming off a 10-assist performance against Seton Hall on Dec. 13. Prior to her 10 helpers against the Pirates, the last Scarlet Knight to hand out 10 or more assists was Briyona Canty with 12 in an overtime battle at Purdue on Feb. 25, 2016.
Opponent offenses may also want to watch out for the Kankakee, Illinois native who is averaging 2.3 steals per game, which is tied for third in the Big Ten.
Sanders most recently reset her career benchmark in the category with five at Houston last Saturday. She previously had a career-high four thefts at Elon and Virginia earlier this season.
BRIGHT SPOT WITH BARBER
Kandiss Barber has led RU in scoring in four of the last seven games including resetting her career-high in back-to-back games with Bucknell and James Madison.
Barber, who is leading the team in scoring at 9.8 ppg, has averaged 12.4 over the last five games
PARKER'S PRESENCE
Shrita Parker is not who the opposition wants at the line when the game is on the line. The Virginia Beach, Virginia native has missed only one free throw to date and is 21-of-22 (.955) from the stripe.
Her free throw prowess came in handy in the victory over Bucknell on Dec. 3. As the Bison closed in on the RU advantage, Parker iced two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to put the game away.
Also against the Bison, the junior guard was only one rebound away from her first career and the Scarlet Knights' first double-double of the season. She logged 11 points and nine boards in the win.
Parker was also clutch the following game against three-time CAA champion James Madison. She drilled a three-pointer with less than a second remaining in the first overtime to knot the score at 71-71, forcing an additional five minutes on the court.
The most veteran member of the roster, Parker is among the top players in the league getting time on the hardwood averaging 35.2 minutes per contest. She is coming off playing all 40 minutes at Houston last Saturday evening.
Parker missed last Tuesday's game with concussion like symptoms. Her status for Saturday has not been determined.
UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights kick off Big Ten play at Michigan on Wednesday, Dec. 28 on BTN.
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