Women's Basketball Opens New Year With Wisconsin on Wednesday
Jan 02 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team opens the New Year up welcoming Wisconsin to the on Wednesday for the first of two meetings with the Badgers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
| Game Sixteen: Wisconsin (5-9, 0-1 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Wednesday, Jan. 4 |
| Time | 7 p.m. EST |
| Location | The RAC | Piscataway, N.J. |
| Video | BTN Plus (Lou Brogno & Cathy Andruzzi) |
| Radio | WRSU 88.7 FM (Dominick Savino and Lea Ginefra) |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Stats | Rutgers | Wisconsin |
| Tickets | ScarletKnights.com/Tickets |
| Promotions | Food Promo: Tomato Soup w/Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwich - First 50 fans through door receive a free voucher $20.17 Tickets Available in Student Section |
WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR
The Rutgers women's basketball team closed out 2016 on a high note with a 61-45 victory over Penn State on New Year's Eve and now looks to make it two in-a-row when the Scarlet Knights welcome Wisconsin on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Kandiss Barber and Shrita Parker both netted 18 points in the victory. For Parker, her 18 points tied her career high as she shot a blistering 70% (7-of-10) from the field. Additionally, the Scarlet Knights knocked down seven shots from downtown, registered a season-high 10 blocks, tied season-highs with 13 steals and 18 assists and committed a season-low 12 fouls.
The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a sizable 18-4 advantage after one quarter of play against Penn State. The Lady Lion's four points tied for the fewest points allowed by Rutgers in a quarter this season.
ABOUT WISCONSIN
Wednesday marks the first of two meetings between the Scarlet Knights and Badgers. Wisconsin comes to the RAC sporting a 5-9 overall mark and fell 73-56 in its Big Ten opener against Michigan on New Year's Day.
The Badgers are led by junior guard Cayla McMorris at 15.4 ppg. She is 14th in the league in scoring.
Second leading scorer, redshirt senior forward Avyanna Young, was suspended indefinitely four games ago. She was the Badgers' second leading scorer at 12.5 ppg and Wisconsin's leading rebounder at 8.4 rpg.
Sophomore forward Marsha Howard is Wisconsin's third leading scorer at 7.9 ppg to go along with 4.8 rpg.
LAST TIME VS. WISCONSIN
The Rutgers women's basketball team scored a solid 61-41 victory over Wisconsin on Jan. 7 at the RAC. The win marked the Scarlet Knights seventh consecutive victory at home.
Kahleah Copper poured in game-highs with 19 points and 13 rebounds, marking her fifth double-double of the year. Tyler Scaife followed with 17 points, while Briyona Canty added in 11 points, with seven points coming in the fourth quarter, to round out the double-figure scorers.
Wisconsin was led by Dakota Whyte with 14 points followed by Michala Anderson with 11 points. Avyanna Young registered a team-high 11 rebounds in the loss.
After Wisconsin opened the contest with an 11-2 edge by the 3:10 minute mark, Copper shifted the momentum Rutgers' way with a three-pointer, igniting a 15-point run.
RU continued to extend its lead, reaching a 17-11 advantage with 6:46 to go in the second quarter. Young ended Wisconsin's six-minute drought with a jumper, as the Badgers discovered a 9-2 run to pull within one, 19-18, with 4:50 left in the half.
RU, however, controlled its lead by maintaining at least a three-point cushion to go into halftime up, 25-22.
Returning from the break, the Scarlet Knights picked up right where they left off, as Canty added in four consecutive points within the first two minutes of play in the third quarter. Shrita Parker kept the run rolling by sinking a three-pointer to give RU its largest lead at 34-22 with 7:32 left in the frame.
After being held scoreless for over three minutes, Wisconsin's Nicole Bauman connected on two free throws, pushing the Badgers on a 7-2 burst to cut into the deficit, 38-29, with 4:14 remaining in the third.
Although Wisconsin was able to bring the margin to single-digits on two more occasions, Rutgers re-established a double-digit cushion, 49-37, for good on a three-pointer from Canty at the 7:06 mark in the fourth quarter.
The Scarlet Knights closed out the game's final minutes outscoring the Badgers 12-4 for the win.
SHRITA'S SCORING
Shrita Parker has been on fire the last two games pouring in 16 points at Michigan on Dec. 28 in the Big Ten opener and tying her career-high with 18 points vs. Penn State in the Big Ten home opener on Dec. 31. In the last two games, the junior guard is averaging 17.0 ppg.
Against the Lady Lions on New Year's Eve, Parker shot a blistering and career-best 70% (7-of-10) from the floor.
IN A CRUNCH
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 28-of-29 (.966) from the stripe. She has gone perfect from the line this season eight times.
Her free throw prowess came in handy in the 57-53 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.
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 HANDOFF AND TAKE AWAY FROM KK SANDERS
Over the last four contests, KK Sanders has averaged 7.3 assists per contest.
Sanders had 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.
Sanders is averaging 4.3 assists on the year placing her 10th in the Big Ten.
Opponent offenses may also want to watch out for the Kankakee, Illinois native who is averaging 2.4 steals per game, which is third in the Big Ten.
Sanders most recently reset her career benchmark in the category with five at Houston on Dec. 10. She previously had a career-high four thefts at Elon and Virginia earlier this season.
PROTECTING HOMECOURT
The Scarlet Knights have had an outstanding track record of success at home. The Scarlet Knights went 12-5 at home in 2015-16, with four of the five setbacks against team featured in the polls (Top 25 - Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan State; Receiving Votes - St. John's; Not Ranked: Virginia).
Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 177-38 (.823) at the RAC.
UP NEXT
Rutgers hits the road for a two-game stretch. The Scarlet Knights travel to Illinois for a Saturday, Jan. 7 matchup with the Fighting Illini on BTN and then head out to Nebraska for the lone meeting with the Cornhuskers on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
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.
-RU-
