Thursday, January 31
Piscataway, N.J.
7:00 p.m.
Rutgers University
vs
Indiana
Photo by: Rich Graessle
Women's Hoops Welcomes WNIT Champion Indiana on Thursday
Jan 29 | Women's Basketball
Scarlet Knights & Hoosiers Set To Tipoff at 7 p.m.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 17/19 Rutgers women's basketball team welcomes the 2018 WNIT Champion Indiana Hoosiers "To The Banks" on Thursday at 7 p.m.
CLOSING OUT JANUARY LOOKING TO CONTINUE HOME STREAK
The Rutgers women's basketball team returned to the win column on Sunday afternoon with a 69-61 win at Penn State to sweep the season series with the Lady Lions.
The Scarlet Knights have won 11 of their last 12 matchups with last Wednesday's 72-66 set back to then #17/22 Iowa snapped a 10-game win streak.
RU, however, continues it's home win streak. The Scarlet Knights have won 10-straight at the RAC as they welcome Indiana on Thursday for the first of two meetings with the Hoosiers.
On Sunday against the Lady Lions, redshirt senior Stasha Carey led all scorers with 19 points and hauled in a team-high seven rebounds. Graduate student guard Charise Wilson added in 14 points in the win, while redshirt junior guard Ciani Cryor dished the ball out eight times.
ABOUT INDIANA
Indiana meets the Scarlet Knights sporting a 16-5 overall mark and 5-4 record in Big Ten action. The defending WNIT Champions have ranked as high as 25 in the AP Poll and played to a 11-1 nonconference mark.
Indiana has fallen in three of its last four contests and is coming off a 76-56 setback at home against #11/12 Maryland on Sunday. Both teams played.
On the stat sheet, the Hoosiers are led by Ali Patberg at 15.7 points per game, ranking sixth in the Big Ten in scoring, while also handing out a Big Ten-leading 5.2 assists per contest. Jaelynn Penn , meanwhile, is dropping in 13.4 points per contest, while Brenna Wise adds in 13.0 points per outing along with a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game. Rounding out the Indiana double figure scorers is Bendu Yeaney at 10.0 points per game.
The Hooisers are fourth nationally in free throws made having sunk 323 over the course of their 21 games to date. They are also one of the top free throw shooting team in the league connecting at .748 percent. Wise is hitting a Big Ten-second best .918 percent from the stripe, while Patberg is fourth in the league at a .805 clip.
Defensively, Indiana is second in the league in 3-point field goal defense, allowing opponent to hit only .277 from beyond the arc. Conversely, they are one of the conference's top 3-point threats at .389 from long distance.
LAST TIME VS. INDIANA
The Rutgers women's basketball team fought back from down nine points early in the third quarter and held the lead until the 3:43 mark of the final frame before 3-pointers and free throws put Indiana back on top as the Scarlet Knights fell 64-58 at Assembly Hall on Jan. 18, 2018.
Rutgers had a pair of Scarlet Knights finish in double figures led by the 17-point effort from Tyler Scaife. Khadaizha Sanders scored all 10 of her points in the Scarlet Knights' third quarter turnaround.
Indiana was led by Kym Royster, Jaelynn Penn and Amanda Cahill all with 14 points. Tyra Buss added in 12 in the victory.
Trailing by nine early in the third quarter, Rutgers turned the tide with an 18-2 run. Included in the run was Sanders with her own 8-0 Scarlet Knight scoring barrage which gave RU a 47-40 lead with 1:46 left in the quarter.
While Rutgers connected on seven consecutive shots from the field to close out the frame, Indiana closed the gap in the closing moments of the third quarter. The Hoosiers ended the stanza on a 6-2 run, but it was the Scarlet Knights in front, 49-46.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the only points came off two Indiana free throws as RU held on to a 49-48 edge. The Hoosiers' Cahill notched the quarter's first field goal with 3:28 to go on a 3-pointer putting the Hoosiers back on top at 51-49.
Scaife knotted the score at 51-51 on a putback that bounced around the rim and in on the following possession, but Indiana would control the lead the rest of the way capitalizing on a Buss 3-pointer and 10 made free throws.
Rollins cut the RU deficit to three, 56-53, with a pair of makes from the line with 43 seconds left, but the Hoosiers continued to connect at the stripe in refusing to relinquish the lead. It would the closest the Scarlet Knights would get in the closing moments.
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.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the 20 games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in four categories.
The Scarlet Knights are checking at 10th in field goal percentage defense (.344), 13th in scoring defense (55.2) and 22nd in blocked shots (97).
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Scoring Defense - 1st - 55.2
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - .344
Steals - 1st - 10.0
Rebounding Defense - 1st - 31.4
Free Throw Percentage - 3rd - .736
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Victoria Harris 48h - Steals - 1.6
Stasha Carey - 7th - Blocks - 1.6 / 9th - FT Percentage - .770
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
All together, the four teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 63-17 on the 2018-19 season.
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 15-4 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. 15/13 in the polls including a 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 19-2 on the season with losses against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge and BYU.
Virginia Tech is 13-7 and has ranked as high as No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Iowa, who Rutgers fell to at Carver-Hawkeye arena where the Hawkeyes have not lost all season, were ranked at No. 17/15 when the Scarlet Knights were in town are 16-4 overall.
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 20 opponents under their scoring average.
UP NEXT
Up next, the Rutgers women's basketball travels to Minneapolis for the first of two meetings between the Scarlet Knights and Golden Gophers on Super Bowl Sunday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. (ET).
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
Thursday's game will be streamed on BTN Plus with Lou Brogno (play-by-play) and Dom Savino (color).
To learn more about BTN Plus and the Fox Sports App, click here.
ON THE AIRWAVES
Thursday's game air will on the Rutgers Radio Network on WCTC 1450 AM with Ralph Bednarczyk (play-by-play) and Mark Peterson (color).
PROMOTIONS
- R B1G Build Night
- GIVEAWAY: Time Capsule Notes
- HALFTIME: Junior Knights Dance Team
Be a part of history Thursday
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights (@RUAthletics) January 29, 2019
1️⃣ Attend the @RutgersWBB game
2️⃣ Pick up a note card at any entrance
3️⃣ ✍️ a 📝 & place it in the time capsule
4️⃣ The capsule will be buried with the @RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center & opened in 25 years
🎟️ » https://t.co/w9Mcr38LZa pic.twitter.com/pQUF7jQAGq
CLOSING OUT JANUARY LOOKING TO CONTINUE HOME STREAK
The Rutgers women's basketball team returned to the win column on Sunday afternoon with a 69-61 win at Penn State to sweep the season series with the Lady Lions.
The Scarlet Knights have won 11 of their last 12 matchups with last Wednesday's 72-66 set back to then #17/22 Iowa snapped a 10-game win streak.
RU, however, continues it's home win streak. The Scarlet Knights have won 10-straight at the RAC as they welcome Indiana on Thursday for the first of two meetings with the Hoosiers.
On Sunday against the Lady Lions, redshirt senior Stasha Carey led all scorers with 19 points and hauled in a team-high seven rebounds. Graduate student guard Charise Wilson added in 14 points in the win, while redshirt junior guard Ciani Cryor dished the ball out eight times.
ABOUT INDIANA
Indiana meets the Scarlet Knights sporting a 16-5 overall mark and 5-4 record in Big Ten action. The defending WNIT Champions have ranked as high as 25 in the AP Poll and played to a 11-1 nonconference mark.
Indiana has fallen in three of its last four contests and is coming off a 76-56 setback at home against #11/12 Maryland on Sunday. Both teams played.
On the stat sheet, the Hoosiers are led by Ali Patberg at 15.7 points per game, ranking sixth in the Big Ten in scoring, while also handing out a Big Ten-leading 5.2 assists per contest. Jaelynn Penn , meanwhile, is dropping in 13.4 points per contest, while Brenna Wise adds in 13.0 points per outing along with a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game. Rounding out the Indiana double figure scorers is Bendu Yeaney at 10.0 points per game.
The Hooisers are fourth nationally in free throws made having sunk 323 over the course of their 21 games to date. They are also one of the top free throw shooting team in the league connecting at .748 percent. Wise is hitting a Big Ten-second best .918 percent from the stripe, while Patberg is fourth in the league at a .805 clip.
Defensively, Indiana is second in the league in 3-point field goal defense, allowing opponent to hit only .277 from beyond the arc. Conversely, they are one of the conference's top 3-point threats at .389 from long distance.
LAST TIME VS. INDIANA
The Rutgers women's basketball team fought back from down nine points early in the third quarter and held the lead until the 3:43 mark of the final frame before 3-pointers and free throws put Indiana back on top as the Scarlet Knights fell 64-58 at Assembly Hall on Jan. 18, 2018.
Rutgers had a pair of Scarlet Knights finish in double figures led by the 17-point effort from Tyler Scaife. Khadaizha Sanders scored all 10 of her points in the Scarlet Knights' third quarter turnaround.
Indiana was led by Kym Royster, Jaelynn Penn and Amanda Cahill all with 14 points. Tyra Buss added in 12 in the victory.
Trailing by nine early in the third quarter, Rutgers turned the tide with an 18-2 run. Included in the run was Sanders with her own 8-0 Scarlet Knight scoring barrage which gave RU a 47-40 lead with 1:46 left in the quarter.
While Rutgers connected on seven consecutive shots from the field to close out the frame, Indiana closed the gap in the closing moments of the third quarter. The Hoosiers ended the stanza on a 6-2 run, but it was the Scarlet Knights in front, 49-46.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the only points came off two Indiana free throws as RU held on to a 49-48 edge. The Hoosiers' Cahill notched the quarter's first field goal with 3:28 to go on a 3-pointer putting the Hoosiers back on top at 51-49.
Scaife knotted the score at 51-51 on a putback that bounced around the rim and in on the following possession, but Indiana would control the lead the rest of the way capitalizing on a Buss 3-pointer and 10 made free throws.
Rollins cut the RU deficit to three, 56-53, with a pair of makes from the line with 43 seconds left, but the Hoosiers continued to connect at the stripe in refusing to relinquish the lead. It would the closest the Scarlet Knights would get in the closing moments.
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.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the 20 games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in four categories.
The Scarlet Knights are checking at 10th in field goal percentage defense (.344), 13th in scoring defense (55.2) and 22nd in blocked shots (97).
B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Scoring Defense - 1st - 55.2
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st - .344
Steals - 1st - 10.0
Rebounding Defense - 1st - 31.4
Free Throw Percentage - 3rd - .736
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Victoria Harris 48h - Steals - 1.6
Stasha Carey - 7th - Blocks - 1.6 / 9th - FT Percentage - .770
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
All together, the four teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 63-17 on the 2018-19 season.
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 15-4 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. 15/13 in the polls including a 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 19-2 on the season with losses against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge and BYU.
Virginia Tech is 13-7 and has ranked as high as No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Iowa, who Rutgers fell to at Carver-Hawkeye arena where the Hawkeyes have not lost all season, were ranked at No. 17/15 when the Scarlet Knights were in town are 16-4 overall.
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 20 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 |
| Iowa | 81.0 | 72 |
| Penn State | 69.3 | 61 |
UP NEXT
Up next, the Rutgers women's basketball travels to Minneapolis for the first of two meetings between the Scarlet Knights and Golden Gophers on Super Bowl Sunday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. (ET).
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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