PISCATAWAY, N.J. – In a come-from-behind triumph, Rutgers women's basketball used a second quarter surge to secure a 74-61 victory over the Penn State on Sunday evening at the RAC, improving to 3-0 in Big Ten action. The Scarlet Knights extended its win streak to six, including a 8-0 record at home this season

RU holds an overall mark of 11-3, while PSU falls to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in league play.

Redshirt-sophomore Arella Guirantes poured in a career- and game-high 24 points, including nine rebounds. Redshirt junior Ciani Cryor and graduate guard Charise Wilson followed with nine points each. Cryor was one shy of her career-high with four steals, as RU recorded 13 in the contest.

The Nittany Lions were paced by Teniya Page with 23 points, while Alisia Smith added 10 rebounds.

FIRST QUARTER
Rutgers opened the game with a 7-2 lead over Penn State. The Nittany Lions, however, responded with a 10-0 run to move in front, 12-7. A trip to the free throw line for Wilson halted the surge to cut into the lead 12-9 at the 4:01 mark.

Penn State shortly countered with its own success at the free throw line to extend its advantage to 21-11. Rutgers closed the frame with six-straight points, including four from Guirantes, to cut the edge to 21-17 moving to the second quarter.

SECOND QUARTER
Although PSU held its advantage, growing its lead to 31-22, RU turned on its defense to hold the Nittany Lions scoreless for nearly six minutes. During the span, the RU offense rattled off a 13-0 run to regain the advantage.  

At the 4:56 mark, senior forward Caitlin Jenkins blocked a PSU attempt that Cryor rebounded to return down the court, resulting in two free throws. Cryor would then record a steal on Penn State's return trip, knocking in a layup to cut the deficit to 31-28.

The Scarlet Knight surge continued with a 3-pointer from Guirantes. A steal and fast-break layup for sophomore guard Tekia Mack layup returned the lead to Rutgers, 35-31, for good with 1:59 to go in the second quarter. RU would go on to carry a 35-33 advantage into the break.

THIRD QUARTER
Rutgers maintained its momentum with another 12-0 run early in the third period, extending its lead to 47-35 by the 6:02 mark. The run also held Penn State without a basket for over three minutes since start of the frame.

PSU attempted to minimize the margin with successful trips to the charity stripe. Guirantes, however, kept the Nittany Lions back by contributing seven points to a 9-4 run, as RU closed the third with a 56-46 lead.

FOURTH QUARTER
The RU energy extended into the fourth quarter, as freshman guard Noga Peleg Pelc opened the final frame by sinking a shot from beyond the arc. The Scarlet Knights held a double-digit margin for the remainder of the contest, leading by as many as 14, en route to a 74-61 victory.



KNIGHT NOTES

• It was Rutgers' largest come-from-behind win of the year as the Scarlet Knights overcame a 10-point deficit, trailing 29-19 with 7:31 left in the second quarter, to win by 13. The previous margin was eight in the 57-43 victory over LSU on Dec. 15.
• After scoring a total of 15 points in the last three games, Arella Guirantes set a new career mark with 24 points. Her previous high was 22 against Central Arkansas on Dec. 14, 2016.
• Guirantes was one rebound shy of a double-double finishing with nine boards. It a new season high for the redshirt sophomore besting her previous high of six against Albany on Nov. 18.
• The Scarlet Knights have held all 14 to its opponents under their scoring average this season. Penn State entered Sunday's contest putting in 70.8 points per contest and was limited to 61 points.
• Rutgers has been finding success from the free throw line over the last three games. Including today's mark of 15-of-17 (.822) from the stripe, RU has missed only five shots from the line going 43-of-48 for a .896 clip.

UP NEXT
Rutgers hits the road for two Big Ten matches, starting with a midweek matchup at Illinois on Wednesday, Jan. 9. The Scarlet Knights then visit Nebraska on Sunday, Jan. 13.