Photo by: Noah K. Murray-Rutgers University
New Year's Eve Matchup at No. 4 Maryland
Dec 30 | Women's Basketball
Scarlet Knight and Terps Tipoff at Noon on Monday
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team closes out 2018 with the "Noon Year's Eve" matchup at No. 4 Maryland on Monday in the Scarlet Knights' first Big Ten road game.
NOON YEARS EVE
Fresh off its Big Ten opening victory over Northwestern on Friday afternoon, the Rutgers women's basketball team makes the quick turnaround for its first conference road competition. The Scarlet Knights meet #4/4 Maryland at noon on New Year's Eve.
RU picked up a 45-41 win over the Wildcats to win its third-straight contest and improve to 6-0 at the RAC. Additionally, the victory gave head coach C. Vivian Stringer her 200th career Big Ten win.
Redshirt junior Ciani Cryor paced the Scarlet Knights with a season-high 13 points and career-high tying five steals. Redshirt senior Stasha Carey came off the bench for nine rebounds.
It was senior center Victoria Harris who put away the game against Northwestern. With the Wildcats up 42-40 with 1:20 to go, the Snelville, Georgia native came up with a steal on a Northwestern inbounds and drew the foul on her way to the hoop. Harris sunk both free throws to put RU in front for good.
ABOUT MARYLAND
The Terps are one on nine undefeated Division I teams entering Monday's contest at 12-0. Maryland is coming off a conference opening 77-61 win at Penn State.
On the stat sheet, the Terps are led by junior guard and 2018 First Team All-Big Ten pick Kalia Charles at 16.3 points per game.
Freshman guard Taylor Mikesell is adding in 14.6 points per contest, followed by junior forward Stephanie Jones at 13.7 points per outing.
Rounding out the double figure scorers is freshman forward Shakira Austin at 10.2 points per game to go along with a team-best 11.8 rebounds per game. She checks in sixth in the country in blocks per contest (3.00) and sixth in rebounds per game.
Maryland is one of the top rebounding teams in the country ranking second nationally in rebound margin (17.0), fourth in total rebounds (586) and fifth in rebounds per game (48.3).
Additionally, the Terps check in at number nine in the country in blocked shots per game (5.8).
LAST TIME VS. MARYLAND
Despite a close battle at the start, Rutgers women's basketball dropped its last matchup with No. 10/9 Maryland back on Feb. 11, 2018 at the RAC.
Victoria Harris posted her second career double-double to lead the Scarlet Knights, matching her career-highs with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Stasha Carey nearly eclipsed a double-double of her own with 10 rebounds and nine points. Tyler Scaife rounded out the double-digit scorers, posting 10 points in the lost.
The Terrapins were led by Eleanna Christinaki with a game-high 18 points. Stephanie Jones followed with 13 points, while Kristen Confroy added in 12 points. Kaila Charles and Ieshia Small each contributed 10 points in the win.
It was neck-and-neck out of the gate between Rutgers and Maryland, as the first quarter would see three ties and two lead changes. The teams went tit-for-tat to open the game with the score at 6-6, including six points for Harris, across the opening four minutes.
Maryland attempted to break away with a 5-0 burst, capped by a 3-pointer for Confroy. Rutgers, however, countered with a 6-0 burst, fueled by four more points from Harris, to put the Scarlet Knights in front, 12-11, at the 3:49 mark.
The Terps would follow with an 11-4 run, recording a 6-for-8 showing at the free throw line, to reclaim the lead 20-14. The Scarlet Knights responded outscoring the Terps, 5-2, as redshirt senior Kathleen Fitzpatrick sunk a buzzer-beating three to cut the margin back to three, 22-19, at the end of the frame.
Despite the Scarlet Knights keeping it as close as three to start the second frame, it was the Terps with a late push to take a 43-27 lead into halftime. Maryland closed the second quarter on an 13-1 run over the final 3:28 leading to the intermission, including seven unanswered points over the final 1:57.
Returning from the break, Maryland grew its lead to as many as 18, using successful trips to the charity stripe. Rutgers never let up, closing the third quarter with a 10-4 run and cutting the margin to nearly single-digits at 55-44.
The Scarlet Knights closed the gap to as little as 10 on two occasions in the fourth quarter. A Ciani Cryor layup saw RU trail, 64-54, with 2:49 to go, but Maryland would end the game on an 8-0 run.
ANOTHER B1G MILESTONE FOR STRINGER
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer became the first Big Ten women's basketball coach to record 200 wins in conference play in the Scarlet Knights' 45-41 win over Northwestern on Dec. 28.
She currently owns a 200-83 record in regular season Big Ten contests, which includes 169 victories while at Iowa from 1983-95 and 31 at Rutgers.
Stringer is the seventh overall basketball coach in Big Ten history to reach the milestone joining:
Bob Knight, Indiana (1972-2000) - 353
Tom Izzo, Michigan State (1995-present) - 274
Gene Keady, Purdue (1981-2005) - 265
Ward Lambert, Purdue (1917; 1919-45) - 228
Lou Henson, Illinois (1976-96) - 214
Branch McCracken, Indiana (1939-43; 1947-65) - 210
C. Vivian Stringer, Iowa (1983-95)/Rutgers (2014-present) - 200
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 1005-405 career record entering her the 48th season of coaching and joined the elite 1,000 career victory club on November 13 in the Scarlet Knight victory over Central Connecticut State.
Stringer is the sixth NCAA women's basketball coach and fifth NCAA Division I women's basketball coach to reach the milestone victory.
In 2013, Stringer became just the seventh coach - men's or women's - to reach the 900-win mark.
Stringer's 35 20-win seasons are second-best in women's basketball history. Former Tennessee head coach Pat Summit leads all coaches with 36 20-win seasons.
The Naismith and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Coach is the fifth active winningest Division I coach and sixth all-time in career wins in NCAA women's basketball history.
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 8-4 overall and has appeared in the Top 25 this season. The Bulldogs posted a victory over then No. 12/13 South Carolina to take third place at the Vancouver Showcase.
Gonzaga sits at No. 20/21 in the polls including a 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 12-1 on the season with the lone loss coming against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge.
Virginia Tech remains undefeated at 13-0 with votes in both major polls.
All together, the three teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 33-5 on the 2018-19 season.
SCORING MILESTONES TO WATCH
While it was head coach C. Vivian Stringer with her 1,000th victory earlier this season, two Scarlet Knights are nearing the 1,000 milestone in scoring.
Redshirt senior forward Stasha Carey is 59 points away from joining the 1,000-point career club, while graduate student guard Sierra Calhoun is 95 points away from the milestone.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the first 11 games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in four categories.
The Scarlet Knights are checking in fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (31.4) and scoring defense (50.2). Additionally, RU is 10th in blocks per game (5.7) and 18th in total blocks (63).
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Scoring Defense - 1st - 50.2
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - 314
3pt Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st -.274
Steals - 1st - 10.5
Blocked Shots - 2nd - .7
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Victoria Harris - 3rd - Steals - 2.4
Stasha Carey - 8th - Blocks - 1.6
Caitlin Jenkins - 8th - Rebounding - 8.6
D-D-D-DEFENSE
The defense turned up the pressure last season leading the Big Ten in scoring defense holding opponents to just 59.3 points per game.
Twenty-nine of RU's 32 opponents were held under their scoring average.
So far in 2018-19, the trend has held steady with all 11 opponents under their scoring average. In the last three games, RU opponents have been only averaging 44.3 points per game.
UP NEXT
Following Monday's game, the Scarlet Knights return to the RAC to close out nonconference play with Brown on Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball at www.ScarletKnights.com and (@RutgersWBB) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates. For additional updates, download the Rutgers Gameday App.
HOW TO WATCH
Monday's game will be streamed on BTN2Go.
To learn more about BTN and BTN2Go, click here.
ON THE AIRWAVES
Monday's game will air on the Rutgers Radio Network on WCTC 1450AM, with Ralph Bednarczyk (play-by-play) and Mark Peterson (color).
NOON YEARS EVE
Fresh off its Big Ten opening victory over Northwestern on Friday afternoon, the Rutgers women's basketball team makes the quick turnaround for its first conference road competition. The Scarlet Knights meet #4/4 Maryland at noon on New Year's Eve.
RU picked up a 45-41 win over the Wildcats to win its third-straight contest and improve to 6-0 at the RAC. Additionally, the victory gave head coach C. Vivian Stringer her 200th career Big Ten win.
Redshirt junior Ciani Cryor paced the Scarlet Knights with a season-high 13 points and career-high tying five steals. Redshirt senior Stasha Carey came off the bench for nine rebounds.
It was senior center Victoria Harris who put away the game against Northwestern. With the Wildcats up 42-40 with 1:20 to go, the Snelville, Georgia native came up with a steal on a Northwestern inbounds and drew the foul on her way to the hoop. Harris sunk both free throws to put RU in front for good.
ABOUT MARYLAND
The Terps are one on nine undefeated Division I teams entering Monday's contest at 12-0. Maryland is coming off a conference opening 77-61 win at Penn State.
On the stat sheet, the Terps are led by junior guard and 2018 First Team All-Big Ten pick Kalia Charles at 16.3 points per game.
Freshman guard Taylor Mikesell is adding in 14.6 points per contest, followed by junior forward Stephanie Jones at 13.7 points per outing.
Rounding out the double figure scorers is freshman forward Shakira Austin at 10.2 points per game to go along with a team-best 11.8 rebounds per game. She checks in sixth in the country in blocks per contest (3.00) and sixth in rebounds per game.
Maryland is one of the top rebounding teams in the country ranking second nationally in rebound margin (17.0), fourth in total rebounds (586) and fifth in rebounds per game (48.3).
Additionally, the Terps check in at number nine in the country in blocked shots per game (5.8).
LAST TIME VS. MARYLAND
Despite a close battle at the start, Rutgers women's basketball dropped its last matchup with No. 10/9 Maryland back on Feb. 11, 2018 at the RAC.
Victoria Harris posted her second career double-double to lead the Scarlet Knights, matching her career-highs with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Stasha Carey nearly eclipsed a double-double of her own with 10 rebounds and nine points. Tyler Scaife rounded out the double-digit scorers, posting 10 points in the lost.
The Terrapins were led by Eleanna Christinaki with a game-high 18 points. Stephanie Jones followed with 13 points, while Kristen Confroy added in 12 points. Kaila Charles and Ieshia Small each contributed 10 points in the win.
It was neck-and-neck out of the gate between Rutgers and Maryland, as the first quarter would see three ties and two lead changes. The teams went tit-for-tat to open the game with the score at 6-6, including six points for Harris, across the opening four minutes.
Maryland attempted to break away with a 5-0 burst, capped by a 3-pointer for Confroy. Rutgers, however, countered with a 6-0 burst, fueled by four more points from Harris, to put the Scarlet Knights in front, 12-11, at the 3:49 mark.
The Terps would follow with an 11-4 run, recording a 6-for-8 showing at the free throw line, to reclaim the lead 20-14. The Scarlet Knights responded outscoring the Terps, 5-2, as redshirt senior Kathleen Fitzpatrick sunk a buzzer-beating three to cut the margin back to three, 22-19, at the end of the frame.
Despite the Scarlet Knights keeping it as close as three to start the second frame, it was the Terps with a late push to take a 43-27 lead into halftime. Maryland closed the second quarter on an 13-1 run over the final 3:28 leading to the intermission, including seven unanswered points over the final 1:57.
Returning from the break, Maryland grew its lead to as many as 18, using successful trips to the charity stripe. Rutgers never let up, closing the third quarter with a 10-4 run and cutting the margin to nearly single-digits at 55-44.
The Scarlet Knights closed the gap to as little as 10 on two occasions in the fourth quarter. A Ciani Cryor layup saw RU trail, 64-54, with 2:49 to go, but Maryland would end the game on an 8-0 run.
ANOTHER B1G MILESTONE FOR STRINGER
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer became the first Big Ten women's basketball coach to record 200 wins in conference play in the Scarlet Knights' 45-41 win over Northwestern on Dec. 28.
She currently owns a 200-83 record in regular season Big Ten contests, which includes 169 victories while at Iowa from 1983-95 and 31 at Rutgers.
Stringer is the seventh overall basketball coach in Big Ten history to reach the milestone joining:
Bob Knight, Indiana (1972-2000) - 353
Tom Izzo, Michigan State (1995-present) - 274
Gene Keady, Purdue (1981-2005) - 265
Ward Lambert, Purdue (1917; 1919-45) - 228
Lou Henson, Illinois (1976-96) - 214
Branch McCracken, Indiana (1939-43; 1947-65) - 210
C. Vivian Stringer, Iowa (1983-95)/Rutgers (2014-present) - 200
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 1005-405 career record entering her the 48th season of coaching and joined the elite 1,000 career victory club on November 13 in the Scarlet Knight victory over Central Connecticut State.
Stringer is the sixth NCAA women's basketball coach and fifth NCAA Division I women's basketball coach to reach the milestone victory.
In 2013, Stringer became just the seventh coach - men's or women's - to reach the 900-win mark.
Stringer's 35 20-win seasons are second-best in women's basketball history. Former Tennessee head coach Pat Summit leads all coaches with 36 20-win seasons.
The Naismith and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Coach is the fifth active winningest Division I coach and sixth all-time in career wins in NCAA women's basketball history.
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 8-4 overall and has appeared in the Top 25 this season. The Bulldogs posted a victory over then No. 12/13 South Carolina to take third place at the Vancouver Showcase.
Gonzaga sits at No. 20/21 in the polls including a 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 12-1 on the season with the lone loss coming against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge.
Virginia Tech remains undefeated at 13-0 with votes in both major polls.
All together, the three teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 33-5 on the 2018-19 season.
SCORING MILESTONES TO WATCH
While it was head coach C. Vivian Stringer with her 1,000th victory earlier this season, two Scarlet Knights are nearing the 1,000 milestone in scoring.
Redshirt senior forward Stasha Carey is 59 points away from joining the 1,000-point career club, while graduate student guard Sierra Calhoun is 95 points away from the milestone.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the first 11 games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in four categories.
The Scarlet Knights are checking in fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (31.4) and scoring defense (50.2). Additionally, RU is 10th in blocks per game (5.7) and 18th in total blocks (63).
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Scoring Defense - 1st - 50.2
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - 314
3pt Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st -.274
Steals - 1st - 10.5
Blocked Shots - 2nd - .7
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Victoria Harris - 3rd - Steals - 2.4
Stasha Carey - 8th - Blocks - 1.6
Caitlin Jenkins - 8th - Rebounding - 8.6
D-D-D-DEFENSE
The defense turned up the pressure last season leading the Big Ten in scoring defense holding opponents to just 59.3 points per game.
Twenty-nine of RU's 32 opponents were held under their scoring average.
| Avg. Total Points Entering Game |
Total Points vs. Rutgers |
|
| JMU | 70.2 | 63 |
| Temple | 96.0 | 67 |
| Charlotte | 70.5 | 54 |
| Wake Forest | 71.7 | 51 |
| South Carolina | 88.2 | 78 |
| Washington 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 |
| Michigan State | 79.6 | 58 |
| Illinois | 64.8 | 37 |
| Penn State | 70.4 | 65 |
| Purdue | 66.1 | 47 |
| Minnesota | 86.2 | 70 |
| Penn State | 70.1 | 70 |
| Nebraska | 70.9 | 52 |
| Indiana | 68.2 | 64 |
| Maryland | 85.1 | 88 |
| Michigan | 77.1 | 56 |
| Ohio State | 85.7 | 90 |
| Maryland | 84.0 | 72 |
| Wisconsin | 60.9 | 50 |
| Iowa | 79.7 | 77 |
| Northwestern | 62.1 | 63 |
| Purdue (B1G) | 66.3 | 60 |
| Ohio State (B1G) | 85.3 | 82 |
So far in 2018-19, the trend has held steady with all 11 opponents under their scoring average. In the last three games, RU opponents have been only averaging 44.3 points per game.
| Avg. Total Points Entering Game |
Total Points vs. Rutgers |
|
| St. Francis (Pa) | 80.9 | 52 |
| Stony Brook | 62.6 | 47 |
| CCSU | 62.5 | 44 |
| Albany | 43.7 | 39 |
| Drake | 82.5 | 69 |
| Gonzaga | 68.8 | 57 |
| ETSU | 61.7 | 44 |
| Va. Tech | 78.3 | 67 |
| Harvard | 68.3 | 49 |
| LSU | 63.9 | 43 |
| Northwestern | 71.5 | 41 |
UP NEXT
Following Monday's game, the Scarlet Knights return to the RAC to close out nonconference play with Brown on Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball at www.ScarletKnights.com and (@RutgersWBB) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates. For additional updates, download the Rutgers Gameday App.
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