PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team made it three wins in-a-row with a 52-43 victory over Virginia on Monday night at the RAC.
Rutgers improved to 8-2 on the season, earning wins in five of its last six games. Meanwhile, Virginia fell to 4-6 on the year.
Redshirt senior guard
Tyler Scaife posted a game-high 22 points for her fifth 20+ scoring effort of the season, moving into fourth place on Rutgers all-time scoring list. Redshirt junior forward
Stasha Carey nearly eclipsed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
Two Cavaliers finished in double figures with Jocelyn Willoughby leading the way with 14 points followed by J'Kyra Brown with 13 points. Felicia Aiyeotan registered a game-best 11 rebounds in the loss.
The Scarlet Knight defense held the Cavaliers to just three points across the first seven minutes of the first quarter, as RU powered to a 9-3 advantage. However, in the final minutes of the frame UVA closed the gap with a 7-2 run to take over the lead at at 12-11 at the end of the first quarter of play.
Rutgers broke away in the battle with a 12-2 run to start the second quarter, limiting the Cavaliers to just five points total in the frame. The Scarlet Knights entered the locker room ahead 26-17 at the break.
Moving into the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights established a double-digit lead after two successful free throws for Scaife, setting the RU lead at 30-19. Virginia traded points with Rutgers to pull within five, but the Scarlet Knights grew its lead back to 38-28 at the end of the quarter.
The Cavaliers' Willoughby opened the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run of her own to pull the Cavaliers within three at 38-35 with 9:42 remaining in the game. However, RU countered with a 7-0 burst, led by five points from Scaife, to re-generate a double-digit advantage with under six minutes to go.
After a
Nigia Greene layup put RU up 47-37 with 2:46 left, the Cavaliers were forced to foul down the stretch. The Scarlet Knights headed to the line six times, while Virginia managed five points from Willoughby and a layup by Aliyah Huland for the game's final score.
Up next, Rutgers welcomes in-state rival Seton Hall to the RAC on Friday, Dec. 10. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on BTN Plus with Kevin Fitzgerald and Patrick Boyle on the call with game action also available on the Rutgers IMG Radio Network from Ralph Benarczyk and
Mark Peterson. The Rutgers wrestling team will host Iowa at 8 p.m. following RU's matchup with the Pirates.
KNIGHT NOTES
- With the win, Rutgers head coach Stringer improved her career record to 985-392 and is 15 wins away from 1,000 career victories
- With her 22 points, Tyler Scaife climbed two spots on the all-time scoring leaders list past Vicky Picott (1987-91) and Regina Howard (1983-87) into fourth place. She how has 1,812 career points. Scaife needs 61 more points to surpass former teammate Kahleah Copper (2012-16) for third on the list.
- Scaife's 22-point effort marked her fifth 20+ scoring effort of the 2017-18 season. She has led the team in scoring in nine of ten games.
- Rutgers outrebounded UVA, 38-29, for its largest rebounding margin since the season opener with James Madison.
- Stasha Carey hauled in a season-high nine rebounds for the third-straight contest.
- The Scarlet Knights committed a season-low nine turnovers. Virginia's 12 miscues, meanwhile, were the fewest turnovers by an opponent this season.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball at
www.ScarletKnights.com and (@RutgersWBB) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates.
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