Women's Hoops Meets Ohio State on Thursday

Thursday, February 14

Piscataway, N.J.

7:00 p.m.

Rutgers University

Ohio State

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Rich Graessle

Feb 13 | Women's Basketball

Tickets Game Notes Watch Listen Live Stats Ohio State Flip Card

Scarlet Knights & Buckeyes Tipoff at 7 p.m.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 23/24 Rutgers women's basketball team hosts Ohio State on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the RAC.

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

Central Jersey Appreciation Night
GIVEAWAY: "Central Jersey Exists" or "Central Jersey Does Not Exist" T-Shirts

#RHoops & Maryland in B1G Battle For First Place

MEETING THE B1G CHAMPS
The Rutgers women's basketball team looks to get back on track on Thursday night when they host defending Big Ten Tournament champion Ohio State for the first of two meetings with the Buckeyes.

The Scarlet Knights dropped a 62-48 decision to No. 8/10 Maryland in their last outing on Sunday in a battle for first place in the Big Ten standings.

The Scarlet Knights were unable to overcome a slow first quarter start in which they shot just 17 percent from the floor.

RU was led by redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes, who came off the bench for 20 points. Redshirt senior forward Stasha Carey meanwhile contributed 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

The loss was the Scarlet Knights' first home loss of the season having won their prior 11 games at the RAC. RU was one game shy of tying last season's 12-game home win streak.

Following Thursday's game, the Scarlet Knights are back on the road heading to Indiana on Monday for a game on BTN.

ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes enter Thursday night's contest with a 10-12 overall mark and 6-7 record in Big Ten play. Ohio State has swung back and forth between the win and loss columns in its last four games, most recently with a 78-52 setback to then-No. 16 Iowa on Sunday.

Freshman forward Dorka Juhasz leads the squad at 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking seventh in the league in rebounding.

Graduate student guard Carly Santoro follows on the stat sheet at 11.3 points per game.

Graduate student guard Carmen Grande leads the Buckeyes at 4.8 assists per game, landing in fourth place in the category in the league, along with 1.6 steals per game, good enough for sixth in the Big Ten.

LAST TIME VS. OHIO STATE
The Rutgers women's basketball team's 2017-18 season came to a close with an 82-57 setback to No. 1 seed and No. 13/14-ranked Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 2.

Tyler Scaife led the Scarlet Knights with 13 points while Caitlin Jenkins grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss.

Five Buckeyes posted double-digit scoring led by Kelsey Mitchell, the coaches pick for Big Ten Player of the Year, with a game-high 28 points. Stephanie Mavunga contributed a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

The Scarlet Knights were unable to overcome a hot-shooting Ohio State squad that shot nearly 50 percent from the field for the game and knocked down 6-of-13 from beyond the arc.

RU pulled back within one at 20-19 on a Jenkins layup and jumper by senior guard Jazlynd Rollins. A 3-pointer for Mitchell started a 5-0 burst for Ohio State to end the first frame with a 25-19 advantage.

Scaife kicked off the second quarter with a 5-1 burst, draining a shot from downtown to set the margin at 26-24 with 8:03 to go in the stanza. The Buckeyes, however, discovered a 6-0 surge to extend their lead to 32-24.

Despite Rollins stumping the surge and a four-minute scoreless drought for Rutgers, Ohio State closed the second quarter with nine-straight points, including four at the charity stripe, ending the half on a 15-2 run to carry a 41-16 lead into halftime.

The Buckeyes took control of the score throughout the third quarter, using success at the free throw line and from beyond the arc. RU continued to tack on points, however OSU held a 69-33 lead over Rutgers at the end of three.

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH
**UPDATE** - Rutgers will now wear the uniforms on Feb. 25 vs. Wisconsin
In celebration of Black History Month, adidas has unveiled a collection of NCAA uniforms inspired by the creativity, passion and expression of the early 20^th century's Harlem Renaissance.

Considered one of the most influential movements in African American history, the Harlem Renaissance was a creative movement that kindled a new cultural identity. In this era, the Renaissance ballroom became a place that epitomized basketball culture as local teams perfected their game on the same wooden floors that were also used for ballroom dance events and jazz shows. Together, the Harlem community infused their spirit of dance & sport within their day to day lives, and created an indisputable marriage between music, culture, and the game.

Inspired by the wooden floors of the ballrooms where basketball became culture, each adidas team jersey also includes patterns which mimic the fabrics and prints of the 1920s that became a means of self-expression and community pride. Each uniform features a unique bean stitch texture around the team name, the word "BALLROOM" on the inner waistband of each short, and a "Celebrating Black Culture" patch. The collection also includes a series corresponding footwear silhouettes which echo the colors of the jazz ballrooms so important to the era. Each detail is meant to be an homage to the art, poetry, sounds and sport of the Renaissance, and to those driving their passion forward.

In 2019, Rutgers marks the centennial anniversary of Paul Robeson's graduation. A standout student-athlete at Rutgers, including on the basketball court, Robeson became a world-renowned actor and activist. He has been heralded as "the most talented person of the 20th century" for his work in theater and film, and as an outspoken advocate for social justice. One of the university's most venerated alumni, he is the only alumnus to have his namesake grace buildings at all three Rutgers locations in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden.

PROTECTING HOMECOURT
Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 203-47 (.812) at the RAC.

RU is 43-4 over the last two seasons at home and is currently 11-1 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 23 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
Indiana	71.4	64
Minnesota	68.9	60
Maryland	76.3	62

NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Thru the 23 games of the season, Rutgers ranks among the top 25 nationally in four categories.

The Scarlet Knights are checking at 16th in field goal percentage defense (.353), 20th in scoring defense (56.1), 22nd in blocked shots (114) and 24th in blocks per game (5.0).

B1G SPEAKING
Among conference peers, Rutgers currently ranks:
Scoring Defense - 1st - 56.1
Field Goal Pct. Defense - 1st -.352
Steals - 1st - 10.2
Rebounding Defense - 1st - 32.2

The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
Stasha Carey - 7th - Blocks - 1.6/ 10th - Steals   1.5

A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
All together, the six teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 113-29 on the 2018-19 season.

RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 18-5 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. 13/12 in the polls including a 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford. The Bulldogs are 22-2 on the season with losses against defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge and BYU.

Virginia Tech is 15-8 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 and are 19-5 overall.

Minnesota, who has made appearances this season in the Top 25 and went 11-0 in nonconference play, is 17-7 on the year.

Maryland has only two losses on the season, one of which came at the hands of the Scarlet Knights in the first of the two meetings between the two squads. The Terps are currently 22-2 overall.

FREE POINTS
Rutgers has been having on of its best free throw shooting seasons in recent memory.

Top Free Throw Percentages Since 2002-03

2002-03       .762   176-231
2018-19       .724   270-373
2005-06       .714   379-531
2010-11       .713   383-537
2006-07       .703   430-612
2004-05       .700   397-567

During a stretch that included wins over #4 Maryland, Brown and Penn State, RU missed only five shots from the line going 43-of-48 for a .896 clip.

UP NEXT
Following Thursday's game, the Scarlet Knights are back on the road heading to Indiana on Monday for a game on BTN.

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.

- RU -