PISCATAWAY, N.J. – In a ranked matchup "On the Banks" that pitted the Big Ten's top ranked defense against the league's top ranked offense, No. 20/23 Rutgers women's basketball defeated No. 17/22 Michigan State, 76-62, on Sunday afternoon at the RAC. The victory extended Rutgers Big Ten record to 7-0, home record to 10-0 and win streak to 10 straight.

RU improved to an overall mark of 15-3, while MSU dropped to 13-5 overall.

Redshirt senior Stasha Carey set a new career high with 30 points to lead the Scarlet Knights. Redshirt sophomore Arella Guirantes followed with 19 points to round out the double-digit scorers for RU.

Michigan State was paced by Taryn McCutcheon and Sydney Cooks with 15 points each. Shay Colley followed with 13 points in the loss.

FIRST QUARTER
Although, Michigan State scored the first five points of the contest, Rutgers responded with five straight of its own to tie the count 5-5 at the 7:01 minute mark. The teams went on to trade points and the lead across the following six minutes of play.

With less than two minutes to go in the frame, the Scarlet Knights found an 8-0 run to move in front 21-14. Following two free throws for graduate guard Sierra Calhoun, Guirantes and Charise Wilson drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give RU the lead heading into the second quarter.

SECOND QUARTER
After an opening quarter that endured eight ties, the Scarlet Knights continued to be in front. The teams continued to trade points moving into the second stanza. Despite the back-and-forth of scores, Rutgers held at most an 11-point lead on two occasions and carried a 33-24 advantage into halftime. Michigan State was limited to only three free throws.

THIRD QUARTER
Rutgers returned from the break with continued energy, using an 8-1 run to pull in front, 41-26. After holding MSU scoreless for the first three minutes, the Spartans' Cooks knocked in a 3-pointer followed by a Colley free throw in attempt to stump the RU surge.

Noga Peleg Pelc, however, responded with a shot from downtown for RU to set the lead at 44-30 with 5:36 on the clock. Carey would register RU's following six points in a back-and-forth rally on the board, keeping the Scarlet Knight edge, 50-38.

RU closed the frame with a 9-4 run, capped by a Tekia Mack layup off an inbound pass to set the advantage at 57-39.

FOURTH QUARTER
The Spartans found a 7-0 run to open the quarter. Carey ended the burst with a layup that ignited a 7-2 run of her own to keep a double-digit margin for RU.

The Scarlet Knights led by as many as 17 across the game's final minutes, closing the victory at 76-62.



KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers picks up its second top 25 victory of the 2018-19 season. The most wins over ranked squads since 2014-15 when the Scarlet Knights downed No. 21 Minnesota (66-61) and No. 19 Nebraska (46-43) at home.
• Rutgers has gone 7-0 in conference play for the first time since 2007-08 when RU won seven-straight to kick off Big East play.
• The Scarlet Knights have kept all 18 opponents under their average this season. Michigan State had the Big Ten's top-ranked offense entering the game at 80.6 points per game and was kept to 62. It tied for the second fewest points scored by the Spartans this season.
• Michigan State's 24 points were the fewest for the Spartans at the half this season. The previous low was 27 in contests on the road in losses with Indiana and Ohio State.
• After being outrebounded by Purdue and Nebraska in their last two contests by an average of 12 boards, Rutgers held a 35-32 edge on the glass.
• Stasha Carey set a new benchmark in points with 30. Her previous high was 26 at Boston College back on Jan. 21, 2016. The last Scarlet Knight to pour in 30 or more points was Tyler Scaife with 30 against Iowa on Feb. 21, 2018. It was the fifth time she led RU in scoring.
• CC Cryor captured double-digit assists for the third time this season with her 12 helpers. 

 
UP NEXT
Rutgers hits the road for two Big Ten trips, starting with Iowa on Wednesday, Jan. 23. The Scarlet Knights then visit Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 27.

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