Wednesday, January 23
Iowa City, Iowa
8:00 p.m.
Rutgers University
at
Iowa
Photo by: Rich Graessle
Women's Hoops Set to Tackle No. 17/15 Iowa on the Road
Jan 22 | Women's Basketball
Scarlet Knights & Hawkeyes Tipoff on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (ET)
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 14/18 Rutgers women's basketball team hits the road this week and faces its second-straight ranked opponent traveling to Carver Hawkeye Arena to face No. 17/15 Iowa on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (ET).
ABOUT IOWA
The No. 17/15 Iowa Hawkeyes boast the nation's leader in double-doubles, scoring and field goal percentage in senior forward Megan Gustafson. Gustafson has helped the Hawkeyes to a 14-4 overall record and 5-2 Big Ten mark behind 26.2 points per game along with 13.0 rebounds per game, which is third nationally.
Three other Hawkeyes join Gustafson in double digits scoring including senior forward Hannah Stewart at 12.9 points per outing, along with a team -second best 6.0 boards per game. Junior guard Kathleen Doyle is adding in 12.0 points per game, while senior guard Tania Davis is registering 11.3 points and team-leading 4.7 assists per game
As team on the national front, Iowa is the country's best shooting team connecting at a .522 field goal percentage, ranks second in assists per game with 22.4 helpers a contest and third in assist turnover ratio (1.61).
Iowa is coming off a 94-75 victory at Illinois on Sunday and has won three-straight games and are winner in five of their last six contests. The hawk also boast a 9-0 record on their homecourt, Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
LAST TIME VS. IOWA
Rutgers women's basketball carried a lead into the fourth quarter, but a late surge for Iowa saw the Scarlet Knights fall in overtime, 77-67, in their home finale and Senior Night on Feb. 21, 2018.
Tyler Scaife poured in a new career-high 30 points, also marking her 17th 20+ scoring effort of the season. Victoria Harris followed with seven points and seven rebounds and classmate Caitlin Jenkins added in 10 rebounds of her own.
Iowa was led by the Big Ten's leading scorer and rebounder, Megan Gufsatson, with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Chase Coley added in 20 points, while Kathleen Doyle posted 14 points and Makenzie Meyer contributed 10 to round out the double-figure scorers.
Despite falling behind 13-4 in the first quarter, Rutgers came alive in the second frame to reclaim the lead. The Scarlet Knights outscored the Hawkeyes, 21-6, in the frame, fueled by eight points from Scaife to move in front. Rutgers closed the quarter on an 13-1 run over the last five minutes, which included holding the Hawkeyes scoreless over the final 2:40 while dropping in seven answered points to take a 25-19 lead into the half.
Rutgers carried its energy into the second half, as Greene posted RU's first five points of the frame, including a 3-pointer. This sent the Scarlet Knights on a 12-5 run for their largest lead of the night 37-24 with 4:55 on the clock. Iowa countered with a 9-2 run of its own across the following three minutes of play.
Scaife tried to halt the chance of the Hawkeye comeback with a jumper and junior guard Khadaizha Sanders, back from injury, closed the third quarter with a jumper of her own to set the Scarlet Knights' advantage at 45-36.
Iowa found an 8-4 surge to open the fourth quarter, including six-straight points. Redshirt sophomore Ciani Cryor stopped the burst with a 3-pointer, ending a four-minute drought for RU and setting the lead at 52-44 with 4:54 on the clock.
Scaife helped hold the RU lead with a jumper and a layup to bringing the margin to 56-47. Iowa responded with a 7-0 run, including five consecutive from Doyle. A back-and-forth battle ensued on the court, as Scaife would keep the RU lead at 59-56 with a jumper and free throw with less than a minute to go.
With nine seconds left in regulation, Iowa's Doyle hit a 3-pointer. Scaife went coast-to-coast, but threw up an unsuccessful attempt. Jenkins caught the rebound, but could not secure the put back as time expired and the game headed into overtime.
The Hawkeyes carried their energy in to the extra period, going on to lead by as many as 12 points and outlasting the Scarlet Knights.
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 206-83 record in regular season Big Ten contests, which includes 169 victories while at Iowa from 1983-95 and 37 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) - 206
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Stringer is also approaching another milestone. She is eight wins away from capturing her 500th victory at Rutgers.
SCORING MILESTONES TO WATCH
While it was head coach C. Vivian Stringer with her 1,000th victory earlier this season, one Scarlet Knights reached the 1,000 point milestone while another is approaching the mark.
On Jan. 16 in the overtime win against Purdue, Carey collected her 1,000th career point and currently has 1,036 points to-date.
Graduate student guard Sierra Calhoun is 75 points away from the milestone.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the 18 games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in five categories.
The Scarlet Knights are checking in ninth in field goal percentage defense (.338), ninth in scoring defense (53.9), 17th in total blocked shots (91), 24th in blocks per game (5.1) and 25th in total steals (188).
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Scoring Defense - 1st - 53.9
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - .338
Steals - 1st - 10.4
Free Throw Percentage - 3rd -.739
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Victoria Harris - 3rd - Steals - 1.7
Stasha Carey - 5th - Blocks -1.7 / 9th - FT Percentage .772
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
All together, the three teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 43-11 on the 2018-19 season.
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 13-4 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. 18/17 in the polls including a 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 17-2 on the season with losses against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge and BYU.
Virginia Tech is 13-5 and has ranked as high as No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
PROTECTING HOMECOURT
Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 202-46 (.815) at the RAC.
RU is 23-3 over the last two seasons at home and is currently 10-0 at the RAC in 2018-19.
Last season, Rutgers went 13-3 at home last season. The Scarlet Knights won their first 12 contests at the RAC before dropping a 52-42 contest to Nebraska on Jan. 21. It was RU's longest home win streak since winning 20-straight RAC wins between Nov. 16, 2007 and Dec. 29, 2008.
RU finished with an unblemished nonconference mark at home for the second-straight season and over the last two years has gone 14-0 in non-Big Ten action.
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 18 opponents under their scoring average.
HOW TO WATCH
Wednesday's game will be streamed on BTN Plus.
To learn more about BTN Plus and the Fox Sports App, click here.
ON THE AIRWAVES
Wednesday's game air will on WRSU, the Rutgers Student Radio Stats on 88.7 FM with Sam Marsdale & Corey Jason.
B1G ROAD TEST
The Rutgers women's basketball team takes its 10-game win streak on to the road for its second-straight Big Ten top 25 matchup at No. 17 Iowa on Wednesday night.
RU jumped up to No. 14 in the Associated Press rankings, its highest rank since Jan. 2012, after a 65-63 overtime win over Purdue and a 76-62 victory over then No. 17/22 Michigan State. With the two wins, the Scarlet Knights upped their RAC record to 10-0 on the year.
Redshirt senior forward Stasha Carey had a big week, first notching her 1,000th career points in the win over the Boilermakers and following with a career-high 30 points against the Spartans. It was the most points by a Scarlet Knight post player since Michelle Campbell dropped in 33 against Rider on Nov. 20, 2004.
Redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes also reached double digits in RU's second ranked win of the year with 19 points, including a 6-of-6 effort from the stripe, while redshirt junior CC Cryor handed out 12 assists, her third double-digit assist effort of the year.
With wins over Purdue and Michigan State, @RutgersWBB earns Team of the Week honors!
— NCAA WBB (@ncaawbb) January 22, 2019
📰: https://t.co/7wzHnpQCgg#ncaaW pic.twitter.com/1WCy7OXzjD
ABOUT IOWA
The No. 17/15 Iowa Hawkeyes boast the nation's leader in double-doubles, scoring and field goal percentage in senior forward Megan Gustafson. Gustafson has helped the Hawkeyes to a 14-4 overall record and 5-2 Big Ten mark behind 26.2 points per game along with 13.0 rebounds per game, which is third nationally.
Three other Hawkeyes join Gustafson in double digits scoring including senior forward Hannah Stewart at 12.9 points per outing, along with a team -second best 6.0 boards per game. Junior guard Kathleen Doyle is adding in 12.0 points per game, while senior guard Tania Davis is registering 11.3 points and team-leading 4.7 assists per game
As team on the national front, Iowa is the country's best shooting team connecting at a .522 field goal percentage, ranks second in assists per game with 22.4 helpers a contest and third in assist turnover ratio (1.61).
Iowa is coming off a 94-75 victory at Illinois on Sunday and has won three-straight games and are winner in five of their last six contests. The hawk also boast a 9-0 record on their homecourt, Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
LAST TIME VS. IOWA
Rutgers women's basketball carried a lead into the fourth quarter, but a late surge for Iowa saw the Scarlet Knights fall in overtime, 77-67, in their home finale and Senior Night on Feb. 21, 2018.
Tyler Scaife poured in a new career-high 30 points, also marking her 17th 20+ scoring effort of the season. Victoria Harris followed with seven points and seven rebounds and classmate Caitlin Jenkins added in 10 rebounds of her own.
Iowa was led by the Big Ten's leading scorer and rebounder, Megan Gufsatson, with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Chase Coley added in 20 points, while Kathleen Doyle posted 14 points and Makenzie Meyer contributed 10 to round out the double-figure scorers.
Despite falling behind 13-4 in the first quarter, Rutgers came alive in the second frame to reclaim the lead. The Scarlet Knights outscored the Hawkeyes, 21-6, in the frame, fueled by eight points from Scaife to move in front. Rutgers closed the quarter on an 13-1 run over the last five minutes, which included holding the Hawkeyes scoreless over the final 2:40 while dropping in seven answered points to take a 25-19 lead into the half.
Rutgers carried its energy into the second half, as Greene posted RU's first five points of the frame, including a 3-pointer. This sent the Scarlet Knights on a 12-5 run for their largest lead of the night 37-24 with 4:55 on the clock. Iowa countered with a 9-2 run of its own across the following three minutes of play.
Scaife tried to halt the chance of the Hawkeye comeback with a jumper and junior guard Khadaizha Sanders, back from injury, closed the third quarter with a jumper of her own to set the Scarlet Knights' advantage at 45-36.
Iowa found an 8-4 surge to open the fourth quarter, including six-straight points. Redshirt sophomore Ciani Cryor stopped the burst with a 3-pointer, ending a four-minute drought for RU and setting the lead at 52-44 with 4:54 on the clock.
Scaife helped hold the RU lead with a jumper and a layup to bringing the margin to 56-47. Iowa responded with a 7-0 run, including five consecutive from Doyle. A back-and-forth battle ensued on the court, as Scaife would keep the RU lead at 59-56 with a jumper and free throw with less than a minute to go.
With nine seconds left in regulation, Iowa's Doyle hit a 3-pointer. Scaife went coast-to-coast, but threw up an unsuccessful attempt. Jenkins caught the rebound, but could not secure the put back as time expired and the game headed into overtime.
The Hawkeyes carried their energy in to the extra period, going on to lead by as many as 12 points and outlasting the Scarlet Knights.
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 206-83 record in regular season Big Ten contests, which includes 169 victories while at Iowa from 1983-95 and 37 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) - 206
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Stringer is also approaching another milestone. She is eight wins away from capturing her 500th victory at Rutgers.
SCORING MILESTONES TO WATCH
While it was head coach C. Vivian Stringer with her 1,000th victory earlier this season, one Scarlet Knights reached the 1,000 point milestone while another is approaching the mark.
On Jan. 16 in the overtime win against Purdue, Carey collected her 1,000th career point and currently has 1,036 points to-date.
Graduate student guard Sierra Calhoun is 75 points away from the milestone.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the 18 games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in five categories.
The Scarlet Knights are checking in ninth in field goal percentage defense (.338), ninth in scoring defense (53.9), 17th in total blocked shots (91), 24th in blocks per game (5.1) and 25th in total steals (188).
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Scoring Defense - 1st - 53.9
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - .338
Steals - 1st - 10.4
Free Throw Percentage - 3rd -.739
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Victoria Harris - 3rd - Steals - 1.7
Stasha Carey - 5th - Blocks -1.7 / 9th - FT Percentage .772
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
All together, the three teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 43-11 on the 2018-19 season.
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 13-4 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. 18/17 in the polls including a 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 17-2 on the season with losses against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge and BYU.
Virginia Tech is 13-5 and has ranked as high as No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
PROTECTING HOMECOURT
Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 202-46 (.815) at the RAC.
RU is 23-3 over the last two seasons at home and is currently 10-0 at the RAC in 2018-19.
Last season, Rutgers went 13-3 at home last season. The Scarlet Knights won their first 12 contests at the RAC before dropping a 52-42 contest to Nebraska on Jan. 21. It was RU's longest home win streak since winning 20-straight RAC wins between Nov. 16, 2007 and Dec. 29, 2008.
RU finished with an unblemished nonconference mark at home for the second-straight season and over the last two years has gone 14-0 in non-Big Ten action.
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 18 opponents under their scoring average.
| 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 |
| Maryland | 78.2 | 65 |
| Brown | 76.0 | 52 |
| Penn State | 70.8 | 61 |
| Illinois | 74.1 | 60 |
| Nebraska | 75.9 | 62 |
| Purdue | 67.1 | 63 |
| Michigan State | 80.6 | 62 |
UP NEXT
Up next, the Rutgers women's basketball team closes out the season series with Penn State in State College on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 2 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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