PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Returning home after five consecutive games on the road, Rutgers women's basketball (7-3) topped LSU (5-3) by a score of 57-43 on Saturday evening at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights improved to an unbeaten record of 5-0 at home this season.
Redshirt-sophomore guard
Arella Guirantes led RU with 16 points, including a career-high five steals, five rebounds and four assists. Redshirt-junior guard
Ciani Cryor followed with 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Scarlet Knights. Senior forward
Caitlin Jenkins registered a team-high nine rebounds.
LSU was led by Khayla Pointer with a game-high 21 points.
FIRST QUARTER
Following a slow start from both sides, LSU pushed to a 6-0 advantage midway through the first quarter. Graduate guard
Charise Wilson brought the Scarlet Knights to life with a 3-pointer to set the score at 6-3. The Tigers' Pointer, however, went on to register seven straight points for a 13-5 LSU edge.
SECOND QUARTER
Two Carey free throws ended the first quarter burst for LSU, sending RU into the second quarter with energy for a comeback. The Scarlet Knights went on to claim the lead with a 13-4 burst, putting Rutgers in front 20-17.
With 1:35 on the clock, freshman guard
Noga Peleg Pelc drained a 3-pointer to ignite an 8-0 run for the Scarlet Knights. Guirantes capped the surge with four straight points of her own, adding a score from downtown to set RU's halftime lead at 28-19.
THIRD QUARTER
Returning from the break, RU and LSU traded momentum throughout the third quarter. The Scarlet Knights, however, remained in front for the entirety of the stanza, closing the frame with a 7-2 run for a 39-22 edge.
FOURTH QUARTER
Cryor opened the fourth frame with four consecutive points, fueling a 6-0 start for RU to set the lead at 45-32. The Tigers attempted to halt the Scarlet Knights with a 15-3 run midway through the quarter, cutting into the RU lead 48-41.
Rutgers never relented its advantage, closing the game with eight straight points at the free throw line for its largest lead of the night, 57-43, as the final margin.
UP NEXT
Rutgers will take some time off for exams and the holidays before returning to the RAC for its Big Ten opener. The Scarlet Knight begin conference play with Northwestern on Friday, Dec. 28 at 4 p.m.
KNIGHT NOTES
- Rutgers has kept all 10 opponents to date under their scoring average. The Tigers averaged 63.9 points per game entering today's contest and was held to a season-low 43 points. It also tied for the second-lowest point total by LSU in the 10-game history between the two squads. The fewest points netted by the Tigers in the series was 35 in the 2007 national semifinals, which stands as the record for fewest points by a team in a Final Four.
- Arella Guirantes led all Scarlet Knight scorers with 16, marking the third game in 2017-18 she has led RU in scoring. In the last two games, she has averaged 17.5 points and in the last four games, she has been averaging 12.3 points per contest.
- The 13 steals tied RU's season high. The Scarlet Knights also had 13 thefts in contests with Central Connecticut State and ETSU. Victoria Harris and Arella Guirantes both have five steals in the win. For Harris, she ties her season-high, while Guirantes sets a new career mark.
- Rutgers trailed by eight-points late in the first quarter, marking the largest Scarlet Knight deficit to overcome for a victory this season.
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