Wednesday, January 10
West Lafayette, Ind.
7:00 PM
Rutgers University
at
Purdue
No. 21/19 Women's Hoops Wraps Up Season Series With Purdue on Wednesday
Jan 08 | Women's Basketball
Scarlet Knights & Boilermakers Tipoff at 7 p.m.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 21/19 Rutgers women's basketball team takes its 11-game win streak on the road on Wednesday to Mackey Arena to meet up with the Purdue Boilermakers at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus and air on WRSU, the Rutgers student radio station, with Matt Howe & Justin Sontupe on the call.
CLOSING OUT SERIES WITH THE BOILERMAKERS
Rutgers returned to the Top 25 this week in the Associated Press Poll just as the Scarlet Knights close out the season series with Purdue on Wednesday.
It has only been 13 days since these two teams last faced each other, with the Scarlet Knights earning a 58-50 win.
Rutgers has won 11-straight and is coming off a 70-65 win over Penn State on Saturday afternoon. Redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife poured in 23 of her career-tying 29 points in the second half and was a clutch 4-of-4 from the free throw line as the Lady Lions pulled within one with 30 seconds remaining.
Also in double figures for the Scarlet Knights in the win was graduate student guard Nigia Greene with 11 points, while redshirt junior forward Stasha Carey was just shy of her second Scarlet Knight double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
ABOUT PURDUE
The Boilermakers welcome the Scarlet Knights with at 10-8 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten action. Purdue has gone 1-1 since last tiping off with RU with a 57-35 win over Wisconsin on Dec 31 and a 72-54 setback at Indiana on Saturday.
Senior guard Andreona Keys continues to lead the Boilermakers with 13.2 points per game along with a team-second best 5.2 rebounds per contest.
Sophomore forward Ae'Rianna Harris is adding in 12.7 points per game with a team-leading 8.6 rebounds per outing. She is also fourth nationally in total blocks (55) and fifth in blocks per game (3.24) and also ranks second in the Big Ten in both categories.
Rounding out the double figure scorers are sophomore guards Dominique Oden at 10.4 points per game and Lamina Cooper at 10.1 points per contest.
LAST TIME VS. PURDUE
Rutgers was able pull away from the Boilermakers late in the Dec. 28 58-50 win at the RAC.
The Scarlet Knights put away the game in the final two minutes of the contest. The fourth quarter endured two ties and three lead changes before redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife's "and one" gave the Scarlet Knights control with 1:43 left to play.
Scaife finished with a game-high 23 points, her sixth-straight 20+ scoring game. Graduate student Nigia Greene came off the bench for 11 points, which was her highest scoring output as a Scarlet Knight to that point, and went 3-of-3 from downtown.
Also in the victory, junior guard Khadaizha Sanders handed out nine assists, while junior forward Caitlin Jenkins grabbed nine boards.
BACK IN THE TOP 25
Rutgers has returned back to the Top 25 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
The Scarlet Knights cracked the top 25 of the Associated Press Poll on Monday checking in at No. 21. It was RU's first appearance in the AP's rankings since March 2, 2015.
Last week, Rutgers came in at No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and moved up to No. 19 on Tuesday. It was the Scarlet Knights first appearance since ranking at No. 23 in the final poll of the 2014-15 season.
The latest coaches poll will be released on Tuesday as the Scarlet Knights make their way to West Lafayette to meet the Boilermakers.
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 993-392 career record in 47 seasons and is seven wins away from joining the elite 1,000 career victories club in women's basketball.
SCAIFE MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Tyler Scaife's game-high 24 points in 23 minutes against Princeton on Dec. 13 propelled the redshirt senior into third place on the Rutgers all-time scoring leader list past former teammate Kahleah Copper (2012-16).
In the next game on Dec. 16, Scaife's steal leading to behind the back bucket that was featured on ESPNW's Top Ten Plays of the Week, pushed her past the 1,900 career point mark.
After adding in a career-high tying 29 points in RU's last contest versus Penn State, Scaife now has 1,998 career points and needs two points to become the third Scarlet Knight to collect 2,000 career points and 214 more to move into second place on the all-time list past Cappie Pondexter (2002-2006).
Scaife has scored 387 points this season and kicked off the 2017-18 campaign 10th all-time in scoring.
Scaife is also among the active leading scorers in Division I:
1. Kelsey Mitchell , Ohio St. 2,998
2. Katelynn Flaherty , Michigan 2,408
3. Jasmine Nwajei , Syracuse 2,135
4. Victoria Vivians , Mississippi St. 2,084
5. Tyler Scaife , Rutgers 1,998
6. A'Ja Wilson , South Carolina 1,994
7. Kolby Morgan , Tulane 1,986
8. Kahlia Lawrence , Mercer 1,966
9. Tyra Buss , Indiana 1,950
10. Carlie Wagner , Minnesota 1,895
GETTING THE POINTS
Rutgers is enjoying one of its highest scoring averages under C. Vivian Stringer's 23-year tenure "On the Banks"
Top RU Scoring Averages Under C. Vivian Stringer
1. 70.0 (35 games) 1998-99 – 29-6 – Elite Eight
2. 69.7 (17 games) 2017-18 - 16-2 - Current Season
3t. 68.7 (32 games) 2014-15 - 23-10 - 2nd Round
3t. 68.7 (32 games) 1997-98 – 22-10 – Sweet 16
5. 67.3 (29 games) 2002-03 – 21-8 – 2nd Round
6. 66.2 (37 games) 2013-14 – WNIT Champions
7. 65.6 (31 games) 2000-01 – 23-8 – 2nd Round
OUT OF THE GATE
The Scarlet Knights are off to their best start at 16-2 overall since the 2007-08 campaign. That season, RU opened the season at 17-2 and finished with a 27-7 overall record reaching the Sweet 16.
MOST IMPROVED TEAM
Rutgers is on pace to become the NCAA Division I Most Improved Teams in 2017-18.
16-17: 17-18:
1. Rutgers (+10) 6-24 16-2
2. Butler (+5) 6-25 11-5
3t. Nebraska (+4) 7-22 11-5
3t. Ala. A&M (+4) 2-25 6-8
3t. Denver (+4) 6-24 10-7
3t. Fla. Atlantic (+4) 4-25 8-5
7t. UC Irvine (+3) 5-26 8-7
7t. Kansas (+3) 8-22 11-3
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
As a team, Rutgers appeared in the top 25 in seven categories including ranking second in steals (231), eighth in steals per game (12.8) and eighth in scoring defense (54.5).
Individually, redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife is third nationally in total points (387) and field goals made (149), as well as fourth in field goals attempted (309).
B1G SPEAKING
You can find Rutgers leading the Big Ten in steals (12.8) and second in field goal defense (.358), 3-point field goal defense (.296) and turnover margin (+6.7).
Among conference peers, redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife is fourth in scoring (21.5) and fourth in free throw percentage (.859). Redshirt sophomore guard Ciani Cryor is seventh in steals (2.2) and junior forward Caitlin Jenkins is tenth in rebounds (8.3) and sixth in blocks (1.7).
STREAKING STATS
The Scarlet Knights have a few streaks they are in the midst of:
Rutgers has won 11-straight games dating back to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with N.C. State on Nov. 30. It is the longest win streak for the Scarlet Knights since ending the season with six-straight wins to capture the 2014 WNIT title and beginning the 2015-16 season with six consecutive victories.
Rutgers is currently 11-0 at home this season. It is RU's longest home win streak since winning 20-straight at the RAC between Nov. 16, 2007 and Dec. 29, 2008.The Scarlet Knights opened the 2007-08 season with a home loss against Stanford but would finish the year out with 14-straight home wins. The streak continued into the next season where Rutgers won six-straight at the RAC before a 55-51 loss to Tennessee snapped the streak.
The Scarlet Knights are also tied for seventh nationally on the current active win streak list with fellow Big Ten member Maryland tied for fifth with 12-straight victories.
D-D-D-DEFENSE
The defense has turned up the pressure this season and currently leads the Big Ten in scoring defense holding opponents to just 54.4 points per game. All 17 opponents to date have been held under their scoring average.
Avg. Entering Total Pts.
Team: Game w/ RU: vs. RU:
JMU 70.2 63
Temple 96.0 67
Charlotte 70.5 54
Wake Forest 71.7 51
So. Carolina 88.2 78
Wash, St. 69.7 64
Siena 67.3 63
NC State 71.9 53
Virginia 63.2 43
Seton Hall 81.1 45
FDU 63.0 35
Princeton 65.8 50
Houston 73.9 57
Purdue 68.8 50
Mich. St. 79.6 58
Illinois 64.8 37
Penn State 70.4 65
INTO THE DEEP END
All 14 members of the available roster have appeared in 13 of the first 18 games of the 2017-18 season.
Through 18 games, the Scarlet Knight bench is averaging 32.6 points per contest.
Only the Michigan State bench has managed to outscore the Rutgers bench this season with the Spartans reserves outscoring the Scarlet Knight backups, 23-16.
Ten Scarlet Knights hit the hardwood in RU's 58-50 win over Purdue, marking the fewest players in a game this season.
GREENE LIGHT
Graduate student guard Nigia Greene has been providing a spark off the bench the last two weeks.
"Gia" as she is known to teammates, has captured double figures in three of the last four games, including a career-high 18 points in RU's 76-37 victory over Illinois on Jan. 3. She was also close to that career mark again following up with 16 points in the Scarlet Knight's 70-65 win over Penn State.
In both those games, Greene shot 4-of-7 from long range.
Since kicking off Big Ten play the Atlanta, Georgia product has averaged 12.3 points. In the last two outings, she has averaged 17.0 points per game.
HAULING GLASS
Junior forward Caitlin Jenkins has been a monster on the boards for the Scarlet Knights this season. She is not only averaging a team-leading 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking her 10th in the Big Ten, but has registered double digit rebounds in seven contests this season.
The Shreveport, Louisiana native has not only hauled in double figure rebounds in four of the last seven games, but has averaged 10.0 rebounds in that span.
Most recently, Jenkins grabbed 10 rebounds versus Illinois on Jan. 3 and 12 boards in RU's 61-58 win at Michigan State on Dec. 31.
Redshirt junior Stasha Carey has also been a force to be reckon with on the glass grabbing a season-high 15 rebounds in the Dec. 8 victory over Seton Hall.
Prior to the meeting with the Pirates, the Cleveland, Ohio native hauled in nine boards in three-straight games with Siena, Virginia and Seton Hall.
Carey has grabbed eight or more rebounds in eight of the last 12 contests.
.
UP NEXT
Rutgers will return home to the RAC after closing out the Purdue series, where the Scarlet Knights are 11-0 this season, to host Minnesota in front of the BTN cameras.
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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CLOSING OUT SERIES WITH THE BOILERMAKERS
Rutgers returned to the Top 25 this week in the Associated Press Poll just as the Scarlet Knights close out the season series with Purdue on Wednesday.
It has only been 13 days since these two teams last faced each other, with the Scarlet Knights earning a 58-50 win.
Rutgers has won 11-straight and is coming off a 70-65 win over Penn State on Saturday afternoon. Redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife poured in 23 of her career-tying 29 points in the second half and was a clutch 4-of-4 from the free throw line as the Lady Lions pulled within one with 30 seconds remaining.
Also in double figures for the Scarlet Knights in the win was graduate student guard Nigia Greene with 11 points, while redshirt junior forward Stasha Carey was just shy of her second Scarlet Knight double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
ABOUT PURDUE
The Boilermakers welcome the Scarlet Knights with at 10-8 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten action. Purdue has gone 1-1 since last tiping off with RU with a 57-35 win over Wisconsin on Dec 31 and a 72-54 setback at Indiana on Saturday.
Senior guard Andreona Keys continues to lead the Boilermakers with 13.2 points per game along with a team-second best 5.2 rebounds per contest.
Sophomore forward Ae'Rianna Harris is adding in 12.7 points per game with a team-leading 8.6 rebounds per outing. She is also fourth nationally in total blocks (55) and fifth in blocks per game (3.24) and also ranks second in the Big Ten in both categories.
Rounding out the double figure scorers are sophomore guards Dominique Oden at 10.4 points per game and Lamina Cooper at 10.1 points per contest.
LAST TIME VS. PURDUE
Rutgers was able pull away from the Boilermakers late in the Dec. 28 58-50 win at the RAC.
The Scarlet Knights put away the game in the final two minutes of the contest. The fourth quarter endured two ties and three lead changes before redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife's "and one" gave the Scarlet Knights control with 1:43 left to play.
Scaife finished with a game-high 23 points, her sixth-straight 20+ scoring game. Graduate student Nigia Greene came off the bench for 11 points, which was her highest scoring output as a Scarlet Knight to that point, and went 3-of-3 from downtown.
Also in the victory, junior guard Khadaizha Sanders handed out nine assists, while junior forward Caitlin Jenkins grabbed nine boards.
BACK IN THE TOP 25
Rutgers has returned back to the Top 25 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
The Scarlet Knights cracked the top 25 of the Associated Press Poll on Monday checking in at No. 21. It was RU's first appearance in the AP's rankings since March 2, 2015.
Last week, Rutgers came in at No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and moved up to No. 19 on Tuesday. It was the Scarlet Knights first appearance since ranking at No. 23 in the final poll of the 2014-15 season.
The latest coaches poll will be released on Tuesday as the Scarlet Knights make their way to West Lafayette to meet the Boilermakers.
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 993-392 career record in 47 seasons and is seven wins away from joining the elite 1,000 career victories club in women's basketball.
SCAIFE MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Tyler Scaife's game-high 24 points in 23 minutes against Princeton on Dec. 13 propelled the redshirt senior into third place on the Rutgers all-time scoring leader list past former teammate Kahleah Copper (2012-16).
In the next game on Dec. 16, Scaife's steal leading to behind the back bucket that was featured on ESPNW's Top Ten Plays of the Week, pushed her past the 1,900 career point mark.
After adding in a career-high tying 29 points in RU's last contest versus Penn State, Scaife now has 1,998 career points and needs two points to become the third Scarlet Knight to collect 2,000 career points and 214 more to move into second place on the all-time list past Cappie Pondexter (2002-2006).
Scaife has scored 387 points this season and kicked off the 2017-18 campaign 10th all-time in scoring.
Scaife is also among the active leading scorers in Division I:
1. Kelsey Mitchell , Ohio St. 2,998
2. Katelynn Flaherty , Michigan 2,408
3. Jasmine Nwajei , Syracuse 2,135
4. Victoria Vivians , Mississippi St. 2,084
5. Tyler Scaife , Rutgers 1,998
6. A'Ja Wilson , South Carolina 1,994
7. Kolby Morgan , Tulane 1,986
8. Kahlia Lawrence , Mercer 1,966
9. Tyra Buss , Indiana 1,950
10. Carlie Wagner , Minnesota 1,895
GETTING THE POINTS
Rutgers is enjoying one of its highest scoring averages under C. Vivian Stringer's 23-year tenure "On the Banks"
Top RU Scoring Averages Under C. Vivian Stringer
1. 70.0 (35 games) 1998-99 – 29-6 – Elite Eight
2. 69.7 (17 games) 2017-18 - 16-2 - Current Season
3t. 68.7 (32 games) 2014-15 - 23-10 - 2nd Round
3t. 68.7 (32 games) 1997-98 – 22-10 – Sweet 16
5. 67.3 (29 games) 2002-03 – 21-8 – 2nd Round
6. 66.2 (37 games) 2013-14 – WNIT Champions
7. 65.6 (31 games) 2000-01 – 23-8 – 2nd Round
OUT OF THE GATE
The Scarlet Knights are off to their best start at 16-2 overall since the 2007-08 campaign. That season, RU opened the season at 17-2 and finished with a 27-7 overall record reaching the Sweet 16.
MOST IMPROVED TEAM
Rutgers is on pace to become the NCAA Division I Most Improved Teams in 2017-18.
16-17: 17-18:
1. Rutgers (+10) 6-24 16-2
2. Butler (+5) 6-25 11-5
3t. Nebraska (+4) 7-22 11-5
3t. Ala. A&M (+4) 2-25 6-8
3t. Denver (+4) 6-24 10-7
3t. Fla. Atlantic (+4) 4-25 8-5
7t. UC Irvine (+3) 5-26 8-7
7t. Kansas (+3) 8-22 11-3
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
As a team, Rutgers appeared in the top 25 in seven categories including ranking second in steals (231), eighth in steals per game (12.8) and eighth in scoring defense (54.5).
Individually, redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife is third nationally in total points (387) and field goals made (149), as well as fourth in field goals attempted (309).
B1G SPEAKING
You can find Rutgers leading the Big Ten in steals (12.8) and second in field goal defense (.358), 3-point field goal defense (.296) and turnover margin (+6.7).
Among conference peers, redshirt senior guard Tyler Scaife is fourth in scoring (21.5) and fourth in free throw percentage (.859). Redshirt sophomore guard Ciani Cryor is seventh in steals (2.2) and junior forward Caitlin Jenkins is tenth in rebounds (8.3) and sixth in blocks (1.7).
STREAKING STATS
The Scarlet Knights have a few streaks they are in the midst of:
Rutgers has won 11-straight games dating back to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with N.C. State on Nov. 30. It is the longest win streak for the Scarlet Knights since ending the season with six-straight wins to capture the 2014 WNIT title and beginning the 2015-16 season with six consecutive victories.
Rutgers is currently 11-0 at home this season. It is RU's longest home win streak since winning 20-straight at the RAC between Nov. 16, 2007 and Dec. 29, 2008.The Scarlet Knights opened the 2007-08 season with a home loss against Stanford but would finish the year out with 14-straight home wins. The streak continued into the next season where Rutgers won six-straight at the RAC before a 55-51 loss to Tennessee snapped the streak.
The Scarlet Knights are also tied for seventh nationally on the current active win streak list with fellow Big Ten member Maryland tied for fifth with 12-straight victories.
D-D-D-DEFENSE
The defense has turned up the pressure this season and currently leads the Big Ten in scoring defense holding opponents to just 54.4 points per game. All 17 opponents to date have been held under their scoring average.
Avg. Entering Total Pts.
Team: Game w/ RU: vs. RU:
JMU 70.2 63
Temple 96.0 67
Charlotte 70.5 54
Wake Forest 71.7 51
So. Carolina 88.2 78
Wash, St. 69.7 64
Siena 67.3 63
NC State 71.9 53
Virginia 63.2 43
Seton Hall 81.1 45
FDU 63.0 35
Princeton 65.8 50
Houston 73.9 57
Purdue 68.8 50
Mich. St. 79.6 58
Illinois 64.8 37
Penn State 70.4 65
INTO THE DEEP END
All 14 members of the available roster have appeared in 13 of the first 18 games of the 2017-18 season.
Through 18 games, the Scarlet Knight bench is averaging 32.6 points per contest.
Only the Michigan State bench has managed to outscore the Rutgers bench this season with the Spartans reserves outscoring the Scarlet Knight backups, 23-16.
Ten Scarlet Knights hit the hardwood in RU's 58-50 win over Purdue, marking the fewest players in a game this season.
GREENE LIGHT
Graduate student guard Nigia Greene has been providing a spark off the bench the last two weeks.
"Gia" as she is known to teammates, has captured double figures in three of the last four games, including a career-high 18 points in RU's 76-37 victory over Illinois on Jan. 3. She was also close to that career mark again following up with 16 points in the Scarlet Knight's 70-65 win over Penn State.
In both those games, Greene shot 4-of-7 from long range.
Since kicking off Big Ten play the Atlanta, Georgia product has averaged 12.3 points. In the last two outings, she has averaged 17.0 points per game.
HAULING GLASS
Junior forward Caitlin Jenkins has been a monster on the boards for the Scarlet Knights this season. She is not only averaging a team-leading 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking her 10th in the Big Ten, but has registered double digit rebounds in seven contests this season.
The Shreveport, Louisiana native has not only hauled in double figure rebounds in four of the last seven games, but has averaged 10.0 rebounds in that span.
Most recently, Jenkins grabbed 10 rebounds versus Illinois on Jan. 3 and 12 boards in RU's 61-58 win at Michigan State on Dec. 31.
Redshirt junior Stasha Carey has also been a force to be reckon with on the glass grabbing a season-high 15 rebounds in the Dec. 8 victory over Seton Hall.
Prior to the meeting with the Pirates, the Cleveland, Ohio native hauled in nine boards in three-straight games with Siena, Virginia and Seton Hall.
Carey has grabbed eight or more rebounds in eight of the last 12 contests.
.
UP NEXT
Rutgers will return home to the RAC after closing out the Purdue series, where the Scarlet Knights are 11-0 this season, to host Minnesota in front of the BTN cameras.
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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Players Mentioned
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