MADISON, Wisc. (Dec. 27, 2019) - Rutgers women's basketball (10-1) opens 2019-20 Big Ten play at Wisconsin (8-3) on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) at Kohl Center.

Off to their best start to a season since 2005, the Scarlet Knights are looking to carry their Big Ten momentum from last season, which resulted in a program-best third place finish and 13 wins.

THE SCOUT

• The Badgers (8-3), like the Scarlet Knights this season, are undefeated at home at 6-0. Wisconsin opens Big Ten play winners of three straight.
• Wisconsin is listed 83rd in the latest RPI rankings.
• Against common opponent Georgia Tech, the Badgers dropped their Big Ten/ACC Challenge game against the Yellow Jackets, 60-41. Rutgers defeated GT, 46-43, to win the Junkanoo Jam championship in the Bahamas.
• Wisconsin has three players averaging double-digits in scoring. Imani Lewis has 12.7 per game to go with a team-high 7.1 rebounds per contest. Abby Laszewski scores 11.4 points per game while ranking 29th in the nation with a .585 field goal percentage. Sydney Hilliard comes in with 10.2 points per game.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

 
 

KNIGHT NOTES

HISTORIC START: Rutgers is 10-1, signaling its best start to a season since 2005, a Sweet Sixteen year for C. Vivian Stringer's squad. Looking ahead to the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin, an 11-1 beginning to the year would be the best ever for a Stringer-coached Rutgers team and best overall since the 1990-91 team opened 13-0.

B1G TIME: C. Vivian Stringer, the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play with 212 victories, leads the Scarlet Knights into the conference slate one year after RU's most successful season in the league since joining in 2014-15. Rutgers' 13 regular season Big Ten wins, the No. 3 Big Ten Tournament seed and the tourney semifinals finish in '18-19 were all program bests.

PLAYING B1G: Rutgers has owned the paint this season, outscoring opponents by an average of 16.4 points per game down low. The Scarlet Knights are 10-0 this season when outscoring opponents in the paint.

B1G HONORS: Redshirt junior guard Arella Guirantes leads the Big Ten in scoring at 19.1 points per game. She has been honored by the Big Ten in four of the first six weeks of the season. Guirantes was named to the Big Ten Honor Roll and as a Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Honorable Mention with averages of 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 20 total free throws during a 2-0 week for the Scarlet Knights Dec. 2-9. Guirantes is a two-time Big Ten Women's Basketball Player of the Week and two-time B1G Honor Roll listee this season.

IN THE POLLS: Rutgers is once again receiving votes in both the AP (16 points) and and ESPN/USA Today Coaches (2 points) Polls. Rutgers received votes in both polls in Weeks 1-3, 5,6 & 7. RU is currently listed No. 41 in the RPI rankings.

D-FENCE: The Scarlet Knights start 10-1 for the first time since 2005 behind stifling defense. RU ranks No. 4 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at .304 and No. 6 in the nation in scoring defense at 50.0 points allowed per game. RU has held 10 of 11 opponents under its scoring average, and have done the same in 40 of its last 43.

NEW-LOOK KNIGHTS: Rutgers women's basketball enters the 2019-20 season without four of the top five leaders in games started from last winter, while returning 45% of its points and 35% of its rebounds. The eight returning Scarlet Knights (seven letterwinners) make up 29 percent of last year's games started. The first 10 starting lineups with last year's number of starts in parantheses: Khadaizha Sanders (0 – injury), Arella Guirantes (21), Tekia Mack (2), Mael Gilles (9) and Jordan Wallace (0).

FUTURE IS BRIGHT: C. Vivian Stringer and her staff have secured the No. 8 nationally ranked recruiting class for 2020 according to ESPN, led by the signing of No. 6 ranked prospect Diamond Johnson out of Neumann Goretti in Philadelphia. Blue Star Basketball ranks the class No. 5 in the nation.
 

TRENDING

• At least two players have scored in double-figures in all 11 games. RU is 7-0 when three or more score in double-digits and 2-0 when five or more accomplish double-figure scoring.
• Nine different Scarlet Knights have scored at least one point on five occasions this season.
• Rutgers is 10-0 when scoring more points in the paint and more points off turnovers than its opponents.
• Arella Guirantes makes the most of her time (2nd in Big Ten in minutes per game) - ranking fifth in the nation in free throw attempts (78) and tops in the Big Ten in field goal attempts (153).
• Guirantes set new career highs in free throws made and taken in the Towson win, connecting on 11-of-14 from the charity stripe.
• RU comes in second in the Big Ten with a +7.1 rebounding margin.
• The Scarlet Knights have held 40 of its last 43 opponents under their scoring average. Since the beginning of 2017-18, RU has held 68 of its last 74 opponents under their scoring average.
• The victory over Georgia Tech marked Rutgers' third comeback for a win after trailing by six points or more this season after erasing an eight-point deficit against Harvard and an 11-point disadvantage to Vanderbilt.
• KK Sanders passed out 16 assists compared to just one turnover over 55 minutes combined in the Southern and Marshall victories.
 

NATIONAL RANKS

Rutgers, as a team or individually, is ranked in the Top 25 in the nation in five statistical categories through games played on Dec. 26, including a pair of Top 10 marks in key defensive figures..
• Team: FG% defense (4th - .304)
• Team: Scoring defense (6th - 50.0)
• Arella Guirantes: FT attempts (13th - 78)
• Arella Guirantes: FT made (16th - 57)
• KK Sanders: Assists/gm (23rd - 5.5)
 

UP NEXT

Rutgers hosts its Big Ten home opener on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. against Indiana at the RAC.

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