VANCOUVER, Canada –  The Rutgers women's basketball team will head back to the states on a high note after picking up a 68-44 win over East Tennessee State in the final of three games at the TCL Vancouver Showcase.

The victory upped the Scarlet Knights overall mark to 5-2 on the year, while the Buccaneers dropped to 0-7.

Graduate student guard Charise Wilson led RU with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-4 performance from long range. Redshirt senior Stasha Carey and redshirt sophomore both had 10 points. Senior center Victoria Harris, meanwhile, dropped in six points along with a game-high 10 rebounds.

ETSU was led by a game-high 23 points from leading scorer Erica Haynes-Overton.

FIRST QUARTER
The Scarlet Knights opened hot from the floor shooting making its first five baskets of game, including a pair of shots from long range. Arella Guirantes drilled an attempt from downtown prompting a Buccaneer timeout with 6:58 to go with the Scarlet Knight ahead 12-4.

A Sierra Calhoun "and-one" capped a 10-0 run for Rutgers for a 1:12 span extending the team's lead to 24-8 just under the midway point of the quarter.

The last five and half minutes of the opening stanza saw the Scarlet Knights outscore ETSU, 15-2, including seven unanswered points to close the frame. Rutgers shot 7-of-9 from the floor during the span for a 31-10 edge.

Charise Wilson finished the first quarter with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range.

SECOND QUARTER
Rutgers struggled in the second quarter and was limited to only two field goals and committed 11 turnovers.

The Buccaneers opened the quarter on a 6-0 run before it was stopped by Carey, giving RU it's first field goal at the 3:30 mark with the Scarlet Knights holding the lead at 33-16.

Altogether, Rutgers was outscored 11-4 and entered the half up 35-21.

THIRD QUARTER
ETSU managed to erase the once 21-point first quarter lead down to single digits late in third quarter. The Buccaneer's Shynia Jackson hit a free throw with 2:57 left in the quarter shortening the RU lead to 43-34.

From there, however, ETSU was held to making only two free throws, while RU rattled off seven points, including a 3-pointer for freshman guard Noga Peleg Pelc to put the Scarlet Knights up, 51-36 at the close of the quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER
Rutgers maintained control of the contest outscoring ETSU in the final quarter, 17-8.

The final stanza opened with the Scarlet Knights on a 13-4 surge capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by freshman Zipporah Broughton and Guirantes for a 64-42 edge with 5:40 left to play.

UP NEXT
The Rutgers women's basketball team returns to the court at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.



KNIGHT NOTES:

• Charise Wilson captured a season-high 17 points marking her second double-digit game as a Scarlet Knight. She also had five assists for the third game this season with five or more helpers.
• Rutgers shot 57.4 (27-of-47) from the floor marking the squad's best shooting performance since hitting 55.4 percent (31-of-56) against Tulane at the Paradise Jam on Nov. 26, 2015.
• Victoria Harris led RU in rebounding for the second time this season and 13^th time in her career.
• Rutgers tied a season-high in steals with 13. Victoria Harris led the Scarlet Knights with five steals, one theft shy of tying her career high.
• Rutgers tied a season-high with eight made 3-pointers going 8-of-16 from long range.

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