PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Nov. 9, 2019) – On an afternoon when Rutgers women's basketball celebrated
C. Vivian Stringer for earning 500 victories as its head coach, the 501
st win was unlike any other in her Hall of Fame career.
The Scarlet Knights defeated Coppin State, 107-33, on Saturday at the RAC home opener, scoring its most points in a game since 1989 – five seasons before Coach Stringer took over the job. The 107-point onslaught was also the most by any Coach Stringer team since her days at Cheyney State in the early 80s.
It was a total team effort, as all five starters scored in double-figures (
Tekia Mack 21,
Arella Guirantes 17,
Mael Gilles 16,
Khadaizha Sanders 16 and
Jordan Wallace 10) for the first time since Dec. 20, 2013. On the defensive end, Rutgers held Coppin State to three points in each the second and fourth quarters.
"This team has worked very, very hard and plays together so well as a unit," Stringer said. "That's a lot of points. It's unexpected, but they have been so focused on attacking the basket and getting to the rim. We love to see this as a result of that focus."
The 107 points was sparked by an unprecedented three-point shooting performance. Rutgers set a RAC record with 12 makes from distance, and tied the overall program record for a single game.
- Mack led the historic offensive effort with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, adding a career-high five steals on defense. Overall, Rutgers caused 26 turnovers.
- Sanders was one assist shy of a double-double, and now has 17 helpers on the young season. Gilles dished out four assists of her own, another career-high for a Scarlet Knight on Saturday.
- Wallace set new career-high marks in rebounding (9) and blocks (4).
- Rutgers shot .549 from the field and .522 from three-point range (12-of-23) – with the 12 made three-pointers tying a program record for a single game. Meanwhile, the Eagles managed a .218 mark from the field, the first Rutgers opponent to be held under 25 percent shooting since Dec. 13, 2015.
- Freshman guard Joiya Maddox has an early career-high of 14 points, making four of Rutgers' record-tying 12 three-pointers in eight attempts from long range.
- Like their season opening win at South Alabama, the Scarlet Knights stuck to the game plan early and often. A 7-0 opening run turned quickly into an 11-2 lead and eventually a 15-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. Rutgers shot 12-of-18 in the opening period, and while they slowed to a .438 mark in the second, the defense only allowed three points in both the second and fourth quarters.
- Rutgers held true to its early season mantra of establishing an early lead and never relinquishing. Mack fueled a 7-0 run to start the game with an assist on Wallace's layup, then drained a triple – her first of the season.
- Coppin State went scoreless in the second quarter until 42 remaining in the period. Rutgers' 23-0 run spanned 8:01 of game clock starting at the end of the first.
- Another big shutout run spanned the third and fourth quarters at 23-0 with Maddox hitting a pair of threes, while Gilles and graduate student guard Danielle Migliore added three-pointers during the spurt. Meanwhile, the Eagles went scoreless for nearly nine minutes.
- The 107 points marks Rutgers' best offensive output since scoring 110 in a win at St. Bonaventure on Feb. 13, 1989. It was the most points scored at the RAC since a 108-33 victory over Duquesne on Jan. 9, 1988.
- The 12 made three-pointers is a RAC record and ties the program record for a single game, last accomplished in a loss at DePaul on Dec. 7, 2006.
- All five starters scored in double-figures for the first time since Dec. 20, 2013 against Wagner.
- Coach Stringer ran with the starting lineup of Sanders, Gilles, Guirantes, Mack and Wallace for the second game in a row to start the season.
- Rutgers' last 50-point win came on Dec. 20, 2017 against FDU, which was also its last 100-point game.
- The Scarlet Knights have not trailed on the scoreboard through 80 minutes of game play.
- Rutgers improves to 19-6 under Coach Stringer in home openers, and is now 46-5 at the RAC since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
The Scarlet Knights continue a three-game homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. against Niagara in the first of a women's and men's basketball doubleheader at the RAC.
Gallery: (11/10/2019) Women's Hoops vs. Coppin State
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