Women's Basketball Heads To Iowa
Feb 01 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team is back on the road to close out the season series with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday at 8 p.m. (ET) at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
| Game Twenty Tthree: Iowa (13-8, 4-4 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Thursday, Feb. 2 |
| Time | 8 p.m. EST |
| Location | Carver Hawkeye Arena | Iowa City, Iowa |
| Video | BTN Plus |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Iowa | Big Ten |
| Stats | Rutgers | Iowa |
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Rutgers women's basketball team is back on the road and will be looking to snap a three-game slide as the Scarlet Knights close out the season series with Iowa on Thursday at 8 p.m. (ET).
Thursday's game opens the final month of regular season action with four of RU's final seven games on the road.
Rutgers faced the Hawkeyes just three games ago at the RAC on Jan. 17 with Iowa taking home a 71-59 victory.
Since the matchup with the Hawkeyes, the Scarlet Knights have had a close opening half and was able to erase a 20-point deficit into single digits in its battle with No. 3 Maryland and dropped a contest to a Northwestern squad receiving votes in both polls.
On Sunday against the Wildcats, sophomore Aliyah Jeune was RU's lone member in double digits with 14 points. Eight of her 14 points came from beyond the arc.
Leading RU on the boards was Shrita Parker with seven rebounds. KK Sanders meanwhile collected four assists and three steals.
ABOUT IOWA
The Hawkeyes are 13-8 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten heading into Thursday's matchup with the Scarlet Knights. Iowa has gone 1-1 since last meeting up with Rutgers on the hardwood with an 80-65 win over Minnesota at home on Jan. 21 and a 100-81 loss at No. 3 Maryland last Sunday.
Sophomore forward Megan Gustafson continues to lead the Hawkeyes at 17.2 ppg and 9.6 rpg ranking 10th in scoring and fifth in rebounding in the league. Additionally, she is third among her conference peers in field goal percentage (.655).
Following Gustafson on the stat sheet is senior guard Ally Disterhoft at 15.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg and sophomore guard Tania Davis at 10.9 ppg. Davis is also third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.865) and 12th in assists (4.3).
LAST TIME VS. IOWA
Despite the second consecutive 20-point scoring effort for junior guard Shrita Parker, the Rutgers women's basketball team fell to Iowa, 71-59, on Jan. 17 at the RAC.
The first half of the contest began as a shootout between Rutgers and Iowa, as the teams saw four ties and four lead changes as the first quarter ended in a stalemate at 16-16. The second frame played out much like the first, however, the Hawkeyes carried a slight edge of 29-27 into halftime. Iowa halted the point-for-point battle with momentum at the start of the third frame.
The Hawkeyes used success at the free throw line to maintain their lead to double digits. The back-and-forth rally returned in the fourth frame, however, the margin was too large for RU to close in on.
Parker matched her career best for the second-straight contest with a game-high 20 points. Sophomore Khadaizha Sanders followed with 11 points, including nine points from beyond the arc. Classmate Desiree Keeling added in 10 rebounds on the night.
Iowa was led by Megan Gustafson with 19 points, including a 7-for-7 performance from the field. Tania Davis followed with 15 points, carried by nine points at the charity stripe. Mackenzie Meyer rounded out the double digit performers with 10 points going 4-of-4 from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
The first quarter was a back and forth battle between Rutgers and Iowa. A 3-pointer from Aliyah Jeune began a 5-0 run for RU giving the Scarlet Knights the largest lead for either side in the frame with a 16-12 edge with 2:05 on the clock. Iowa, however, responded with four unanswered points, including two free throws for Ally Disterhoft to knot the score 16-16 to end the first.
With the score remaining balanced, 21-21, midway through the second stanza, the Scarlet Knights began to break away on the scoreboard by edging the Hawkeyes with a 6-2 run for a 27-23 lead at the 3:32 mark. Iowa responded though with a six-consecutive points to take a 29-27 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Returning from the break, Iowa stumped the back-and-forth rally on the court by pushing its lead to 36-29 by the 6:55 minute mark. Victoria Harris knocked in a layup in attempt to halt the burst. The Hawkeyes, however, would hold on to their momentum, in addition to success at the free throw line, to generate a 52-39 edge by the end of the third.
The game's early rally returned in the fourth frame. The teams traded points as Rutgers edged Iowa, 20-19, in the final stanza, but it was not enough to close the gap.
SHRITA'S SCORING
Shrita Parker has been on fire since Big Ten play started. Against conference competition, the junior guard is averaging 15.3 ppg, including a career-high 20 points in back-to-back games against Iowa on Jan. 17 and Michigan State on Jan. 14. Parker has scored in double figures in all but one Big Ten contest this winter.
BOUNCING BACK
Sophomore guard Aliyah Jeune rebounded from a scoreless game against Illinois on Jan. 7 to average 12.8 ppg in the last five contests.
After not scoring against the Fighting Illini, Jeune had 15 points against the Cornhuskers on Jan. 10. More recently, Jeune netted 13 points against No. 3 Maryland on Jan. 22 and had a team-leading 14 points against Northwestern on Jan. 29.
So far in 2016-17, Jeune has connected on 50 percent or better from 3-point range five times, including three of the last seven games.
Jeune has connected on three or more 3's in six of RU's nine Big Ten contests to date. In the last five games, she has gone 14-of-34 (.412) from 3-point range.
RU DEFENSE ON THE B1G OFFENSE
Rutgers tackled the Big Ten's top offense in Michigan in its Big Ten opener on Dec. 28. While the Wolverines emerged with the 63-50 win, Michigan had entered the contest averaging 81.0 ppg.
Michigan's 63 points were the fewest scored by the Wolverines in a victory this season. The previous low was 66 in a 66-44 win over Western Michigan on Nov. 21.
The Scarlet Knights were also able to keep one of the top offensive threats in the league in check in their last contest.
Northwestern's Nia Coffey, who was averaging a double-double, heading into the Jan. 29 game with RU was held to single digit scoring and rebounding for the first time all season.
UP NEXT
The Rutgers women's basketball team returns to the RAC for the annual Play4Kay game. The Scarlet Knights will host Indiana on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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