Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)
Women's Hoops Meets Buffalo in First Round NCAA Action on Friday
Mar 20 | Women's Basketball
No. 7 Scarlet Knights & No. 10 Bulls Tipoff at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 7 seed Rutgers women's basketball team begins dancing on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the Scarlet Knights tipping off against No. 10 Buffalo at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m.
The Rutgers women's basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament field of 64.
The Scarlet Knights are making their way to their 25th NCAA Tournament appearance with an at-large bid with a 22-9 overall record, 13-5 Big Ten mark and an appearance in the Big Ten semifinals.
The No. 7 Scarlet Knights open up tournament play on Friday against No. 10 Buffalo. The winner will advance to meet either No. 2
Connecticut or No. 15 Towson.
Rutgers is led by Second Team All-Big Ten Selection and Big Ten All-Tournament honoree, senior forward Stasha Carey, who is averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Carey picked up all-tournament accolades after pouring in 15.5 points per game along with 8.0 rebounds against Purdue and eventual champion Iowa.
Next on the stat sheet is redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes. The Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick is adding in 12.0 points per game and also dropped in 15.5 points per game during RU's Big Ten Tournament run.
Rutgers last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2015, reaching the second round of play at Gampel Pavilion.
ON THE SIDELINES
Tim Eatman will serve as acting head coach for head coach C. Vivian Stringer, who will miss the duration of the 2018-19 season.
This is Coach Eatman's second stint filling in for Coach Stringer. He previously served as acting head coach for three games following the illness and passing of Stringer's mother, Thelma Stoner, in 2016.
Since being named acting head coach on Feb. 24, Coach Eatman has guided Rutgers to a 4-1 mark.
POST SEASON PEAK
It's not how you start, but how you finish and the Scarlet Knights have shown despite adversity that they continue to get better as the season "Marches On".
POST SEASON PERKS
Stasha Carey and Arella Guirantes both earned All-Big Ten accolades by both the media and coaches. Carey, who was an honorable mention selection a year ago, picked up Second Team All-Big Ten honors, while Guirantes was an honorable mention honoree.
Carey also played her way onto the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. The redshirt senior forward guided the No. 3 Scarlet Knights to a 64-49 victory over No. 11 Purdue in the Big Ten quarterfinals behind 17 points and nine rebounds. Carey went 6-of-11 from the field and shot 5-of-6 from the line. In the semifinals against eventual champion Iowa, Carey captured 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and set a new career-high in steals with six thefts. The Cleveland, Ohio product averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and shot 52 percent from the floor during RU's 2019 Big Ten Tournament run.
B1G REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Rutgers' 13 Big Ten wins are the most for the program since joining the league in 2014.
The 13 conference wins are also the most by the Scarlet Knights since going 14-2 in Big East play during the 2007-08 season.
The Scarlet Knights also earned its highest Big Ten Tournament seed ever and advanced to their first semifinal since joining the league in 2014.
REGULAR SEASON WINS
Rutgers entered the Big Ten Tournament with 21 victories and reached the 20-win mark during the regular season for the first time since 2014-15.
That year, Rutgers marched into the Big Ten Tournament at 20-8 overall. The Scarlet Knights reached the quarterfinals and eventually danced onto the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
ANOTHER B1G MILESTONE FOR STRINGER
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer became the first Big Ten women's basketball coach to record 200 wins in conference play in the Scarlet Knights' 45-41 win over Northwestern on Dec. 28.
She currently owns a 212-87 record in regular season Big Ten contests, which includes 169 victories while at Iowa from 1983-95 and 43 at Rutgers.
Stringer is the seventh overall basketball coach in Big Ten history to reach the milestone joining:
Bob Knight, Indiana (1972-2000) - 353
Tom Izzo, Michigan State (1995-present) - 288
Gene Keady, Purdue (1981-2005) - 265
Ward Lambert, Purdue (1917; 1919-45) - 228
Lou Henson, Illinois (1976-96) - 214
C. Vivian Stringer, Iowa (1983-95)/ Rutgers (2014-present) - 212
Branch McCracken, Indiana (1939-43; 1947-65) - 210
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 1019-411 career record in her 48th season of coaching and joined the elite 1,000 career victory club on November 13 in the Scarlet Knight victory over Central Connecticut State.
Stringer is the sixth NCAA women's basketball coach and fifth NCAA Division I women's basketball coach to reach the milestone victory.
In 2013, Stringer became just the seventh coach - men's or women's - to reach the 900-win mark.
With a 60-54 win over Minnesota on Feb. 28, Stringer was credited with her 36th 20-win seasons to tie former Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt for women's basketball coaches with the most 20-win seasons.
The Naismith and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Coach is the fifth active winningest Division I coach and sixth all-time in career wins in NCAA women's basketball history.
Stringer is also approaching another milestone. She is one win away from capturing her 500th victory at Rutgers.
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
All together, the eight teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 184-66 on the 2018-19 season.
Seven of the nine total Rutgers losses were against teams that are in or have appeared in the top 25 of the polls. All eight teams advanced to the postseason with five joining the Scarlet Knights in the NCAA Tournament.
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 27-6 overall and will take on Missouri in first round NCAA action as the No. 10 seed. The Bulldogs posted a victory over then-No. 12/13 South Carolina to take third place at the Vancouver Showcase.
Gonzaga sits at No. 16 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll with a 28-4 overall record and are the No. 5 seed facing UALR in first round play. The Bulldogs had an early season 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford and only other losses were to defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge and a trio losses to BYU, including the WCC Championship game.
Iowa, the Big Ten Tournament Champions who Rutgers fell to at Carver-Hawkeye arena where the Hawkeyes did not lose all season and in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, are 26-6 overall. Iowa is a No. 2 seed hosting No. 15 Mercer in the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland has only four 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 28-4 overall are a No. 3 seed and host No. 14 Radford in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan is 21-11 overall and won nine of its last 11 games reaching the Big Ten semifinals. The Wolverines are the No. 8 seed facing No. 9 seed Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota, who has made appearances this season in the Top 25 and went 11-0 in nonconference play, heads to the WNIT at 20-10 on the year and hosts Northern Iowa.
Virginia Tech is 20-11 and ranked as high as No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Among the Hokie setbacks this season have been overtime contests with nationally ranked Syracuse and NC State. Virginia Tech, who reached the finals of the WNIT championship last season, will open up WNIT play with Furman.
Ohio State, meanwhile, heads into the WNIT at 14-14 overall and will meet Morehead State.
B1G SPEAKING
Among Big Ten Conference peers, Rutgers enters the NCAA Tournament ranked:
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
So far in 2018-19, the trend has held steady with 30 of RU's 31 opponents under their scoring average.
FREE POINTS
Rutgers has been having on of its best free throw shooting seasons in recent memory.
Top Free Throw Percentages Since 2002-03
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.
Redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes leads RU at the line connecting at 83.1 percent (69-of-83). The Bellport, New York product has gone perfect from the stripe on nine occasions including 6-of-6 in the upset win over No. 17/22 Michigan State on Jan. 20 and versus No. 10/10 Iowa in the Big Ten semifinals. She was also 5-of-5 in the regular season home finale with Minnesota on Feb. 28.
A STAT PACK UPDATE
In the last six games, redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes has averaged 16.8 points per game and in the last four has added in 18.8 points per game, including a career-high 25-point effort in the home regular season finale with Minnesota on Feb. 28.
Her career night against the Golden Gophers surpassed her previous high of 24 set against Penn State back on Jan. 6.
Guirantes also hit the 20-point mark against #10/8 Maryland on Feb. 10.
Sophomore forward Tekia Mack is another Scarlet Knight that has come on strong as of late. The Chicago, Illinois native missed the first three games of the season with an elbow injury and was averaging only 1.8 points per game following RU's Big Ten opener with Northwestern on Dec. 28.
Most recently, "T-Baby" as she is known to her teammates has scored in double figures in three of the last seven games, including a career night on Jan. 18 at Indiana. The Chicago, Illinois native shot 10-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-4 from downtown, to log a career-high 24 points.
Mack surpassed her previous high of 13 set last season against the 2017 defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks at the Gulf Coast Showcase during the Thanksgiving break.
Freshman Noga Peleg Pelc was a big part of the Rutgers comeback against Iowa in the Big Ten semifinals. The rookie guard netted 14 points, her first double-figure scoring effort since her career-high 19 in the nonconference final against Brown back on Jan. 4.
COME BACK KIDS
Rutgers avenged two of its losses this season.
After a 60-46 setback to Minnesota on Feb 3, the Scarlet Knights rebounded for a 60-54 victory over the Golden Gophers on Feb. 28. Minnesota led by as many as nine midway thru the third quarter before going on to outscore the Golden Gophers 32-17 for the victory to clinch the three seed for the Big Ten Tournament and give RU its first 20-win regular season since 2014-15.
Rutgers also managed to even the season series with Ohio State. After suffering a 59-39 loss to the Buckeyes, the Scarlet Knights rallied for a 66-56 win over Ohio State to close the regular season out on a three-game win streak. Rutgers trailed by 16 in the first quarter, but used a 41-18 second half to push ahead to victory.
IT AIN'T OVER, TILL IT'S OVER
The Rutgers women's basketball team had one of its greatest comebacks of the season in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals against eventual tournament champion and No. 10 Iowa.
RU fought back from 20-point third quarter deficit in trying to play its way into the Big Ten championship game.
Rutgers trailed 51-31 with 4:51 left in the third quarter before a fourth quarter surge brought the Scarlet Knights to within three on three occasions late in the fourth quarter.
Iowa led 61-47 with 8:02 left in the game when the Scarlet Knights began the comeback. Rutgers rattled off 11-unanswered points over the next three minutes and the once 20-point Hawkeye lead was whittled down to a possession.
DON'T COUNT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS OUT
In the last four games, Rutgers has outscored its opposition, 84-41, in the fourth quarter including 23-15 against the Big Ten Champion and No. 10 Hawkeyes.
UP NEXT
With a win over Buffalo, the Rutgers women's basketball team will advance to meet the winner between No. 2 Connecticut and No. 15 Towson in NCAA Second Round action on Sunday. Game time and television information will be determined at the conclusion of first round contests.
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
Friday's NCAA first round matchup will air on ESPN2 with Adam Amin and Kara Lawson on the call.
Action can also be streamed with Watch ESPN.
ON THE AIRWAVES
Friday's game air will on the Rutgers Radio Network on WCTC 1450 AM with Ralph Bednarczyk (play-by-play) and Mark Peterson (color).
The Rutgers women's basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament field of 64.
The Scarlet Knights are making their way to their 25th NCAA Tournament appearance with an at-large bid with a 22-9 overall record, 13-5 Big Ten mark and an appearance in the Big Ten semifinals.
The No. 7 Scarlet Knights open up tournament play on Friday against No. 10 Buffalo. The winner will advance to meet either No. 2
Connecticut or No. 15 Towson.
Rutgers is led by Second Team All-Big Ten Selection and Big Ten All-Tournament honoree, senior forward Stasha Carey, who is averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Carey picked up all-tournament accolades after pouring in 15.5 points per game along with 8.0 rebounds against Purdue and eventual champion Iowa.
Next on the stat sheet is redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes. The Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick is adding in 12.0 points per game and also dropped in 15.5 points per game during RU's Big Ten Tournament run.
Rutgers last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2015, reaching the second round of play at Gampel Pavilion.
ON THE SIDELINES
Tim Eatman will serve as acting head coach for head coach C. Vivian Stringer, who will miss the duration of the 2018-19 season.
This is Coach Eatman's second stint filling in for Coach Stringer. He previously served as acting head coach for three games following the illness and passing of Stringer's mother, Thelma Stoner, in 2016.
Since being named acting head coach on Feb. 24, Coach Eatman has guided Rutgers to a 4-1 mark.
POST SEASON PEAK
It's not how you start, but how you finish and the Scarlet Knights have shown despite adversity that they continue to get better as the season "Marches On".
| Now: (Last Five Games) | Now: |
| 66.0 pts. scoring per game (improved) | 63.5 pts. scoring per game |
| 56.8 pts. opponent scoring average (improved) | 57.5 pts. opponent scoring average |
| +9.2 scoring margin (improved) | +6.0 scoring margin |
| +3.6 rebounding margin (improved) | +3.3 rebounding margin |
| 12.2 steals per game (improved) | 10.0 steals per game |
| 35.9 rebounds per game (consistent) | 35.2 rebounds per game |
| 75.3% FT% (improved) | 72.6% FT % |
| 37.2 rebounds per game (improved) | 36.2 rebounds per game |
| Lost in semifinal of B1G Tourney to Iowa by 5 points (Mar. 9) |
Lost at Iowa by 6 pts (Jan. 23) |
| 4-1 Record | 18-8 Record |
POST SEASON PERKS
Stasha Carey and Arella Guirantes both earned All-Big Ten accolades by both the media and coaches. Carey, who was an honorable mention selection a year ago, picked up Second Team All-Big Ten honors, while Guirantes was an honorable mention honoree.
Carey also played her way onto the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. The redshirt senior forward guided the No. 3 Scarlet Knights to a 64-49 victory over No. 11 Purdue in the Big Ten quarterfinals behind 17 points and nine rebounds. Carey went 6-of-11 from the field and shot 5-of-6 from the line. In the semifinals against eventual champion Iowa, Carey captured 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and set a new career-high in steals with six thefts. The Cleveland, Ohio product averaged 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and shot 52 percent from the floor during RU's 2019 Big Ten Tournament run.
B1G REGULAR SEASON RECORDS
Rutgers' 13 Big Ten wins are the most for the program since joining the league in 2014.
| Year: | Record: |
| 2018-19: | 13-5 |
| 2014-15: | 12-6 |
| 2015-16: | 8-10 |
| 2017-18: | 7-9 |
| 2016-17: | 3-12 |
The 13 conference wins are also the most by the Scarlet Knights since going 14-2 in Big East play during the 2007-08 season.
The Scarlet Knights also earned its highest Big Ten Tournament seed ever and advanced to their first semifinal since joining the league in 2014.
| Year: | Tournament Seed: | Finish: |
| 2018-19 | Three | Semifinals |
| 2017-18: | Nine | Quarterfinals |
| 2016-17: | Fourteen | First Round |
| 2015-16: | Ten | Quarterfinals |
| 2014-15: | Five | Quarterfinals |
REGULAR SEASON WINS
Rutgers entered the Big Ten Tournament with 21 victories and reached the 20-win mark during the regular season for the first time since 2014-15.
That year, Rutgers marched into the Big Ten Tournament at 20-8 overall. The Scarlet Knights reached the quarterfinals and eventually danced onto the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
ANOTHER B1G MILESTONE FOR STRINGER
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer became the first Big Ten women's basketball coach to record 200 wins in conference play in the Scarlet Knights' 45-41 win over Northwestern on Dec. 28.
She currently owns a 212-87 record in regular season Big Ten contests, which includes 169 victories while at Iowa from 1983-95 and 43 at Rutgers.
Stringer is the seventh overall basketball coach in Big Ten history to reach the milestone joining:
Bob Knight, Indiana (1972-2000) - 353
Tom Izzo, Michigan State (1995-present) - 288
Gene Keady, Purdue (1981-2005) - 265
Ward Lambert, Purdue (1917; 1919-45) - 228
Lou Henson, Illinois (1976-96) - 214
C. Vivian Stringer, Iowa (1983-95)/ Rutgers (2014-present) - 212
Branch McCracken, Indiana (1939-43; 1947-65) - 210
STRINGER MILESTONE NUMBERS TO REMEMBER
Rutgers head coach Stringer has compiled a 1019-411 career record in her 48th season of coaching and joined the elite 1,000 career victory club on November 13 in the Scarlet Knight victory over Central Connecticut State.
Stringer is the sixth NCAA women's basketball coach and fifth NCAA Division I women's basketball coach to reach the milestone victory.
In 2013, Stringer became just the seventh coach - men's or women's - to reach the 900-win mark.
With a 60-54 win over Minnesota on Feb. 28, Stringer was credited with her 36th 20-win seasons to tie former Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt for women's basketball coaches with the most 20-win seasons.
The Naismith and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Coach is the fifth active winningest Division I coach and sixth all-time in career wins in NCAA women's basketball history.
Stringer is also approaching another milestone. She is one win away from capturing her 500th victory at Rutgers.
A LOSS IS STILL A LOSS, BUT...
All together, the eight teams that have managed to defeat the Scarlet Knights are a combined 184-66 on the 2018-19 season.
Seven of the nine total Rutgers losses were against teams that are in or have appeared in the top 25 of the polls. All eight teams advanced to the postseason with five joining the Scarlet Knights in the NCAA Tournament.
RU's first loss of the season was to a Drake squad that sits at 27-6 overall and will take on Missouri in first round NCAA action as the No. 10 seed. The Bulldogs posted a victory over then-No. 12/13 South Carolina to take third place at the Vancouver Showcase.
Gonzaga sits at No. 16 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll with a 28-4 overall record and are the No. 5 seed facing UALR in first round play. The Bulldogs had an early season 79-73 win over then-No. 11 Stanford and only other losses were to defending national champion Notre Dame at the Vancouver Challenge and a trio losses to BYU, including the WCC Championship game.
Iowa, the Big Ten Tournament Champions who Rutgers fell to at Carver-Hawkeye arena where the Hawkeyes did not lose all season and in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, are 26-6 overall. Iowa is a No. 2 seed hosting No. 15 Mercer in the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland has only four 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 28-4 overall are a No. 3 seed and host No. 14 Radford in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan is 21-11 overall and won nine of its last 11 games reaching the Big Ten semifinals. The Wolverines are the No. 8 seed facing No. 9 seed Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota, who has made appearances this season in the Top 25 and went 11-0 in nonconference play, heads to the WNIT at 20-10 on the year and hosts Northern Iowa.
Virginia Tech is 20-11 and ranked as high as No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Among the Hokie setbacks this season have been overtime contests with nationally ranked Syracuse and NC State. Virginia Tech, who reached the finals of the WNIT championship last season, will open up WNIT play with Furman.
Ohio State, meanwhile, heads into the WNIT at 14-14 overall and will meet Morehead State.
B1G SPEAKING
Among Big Ten Conference peers, Rutgers enters the NCAA Tournament ranked:
| Scoring Defense | 1st | 57.4 |
| Steals | 1st | 10.4 |
| Rebounding Defense | 1st | 32.5 |
| Field Goal Pct. Defense | 2nd | .371 |
The following Scarlet Knights are ranked among conference peers:
| Stasha Carey | 9th | Steals | 1.7 |
| 10th | Blocks | 1.4 |
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 30 of RU's 31 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 |
| Ohio State | 61.5 | 59 |
| Indiana | 70.2 | 61 |
| Michigan | 72.7 | 86 |
| Wisconsin | 65.3 | 53 |
| Minnesota | 69.5 | 54 |
| Ohio State | 62.3 | 56 |
| Purdue (B1G) | 62.7 | 49 |
| Iowa (B1G) | 79.8 | 72 |
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 | .730 | 355-486 |
| 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.
Redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes leads RU at the line connecting at 83.1 percent (69-of-83). The Bellport, New York product has gone perfect from the stripe on nine occasions including 6-of-6 in the upset win over No. 17/22 Michigan State on Jan. 20 and versus No. 10/10 Iowa in the Big Ten semifinals. She was also 5-of-5 in the regular season home finale with Minnesota on Feb. 28.
A STAT PACK UPDATE
In the last six games, redshirt sophomore guard Arella Guirantes has averaged 16.8 points per game and in the last four has added in 18.8 points per game, including a career-high 25-point effort in the home regular season finale with Minnesota on Feb. 28.
Her career night against the Golden Gophers surpassed her previous high of 24 set against Penn State back on Jan. 6.
Guirantes also hit the 20-point mark against #10/8 Maryland on Feb. 10.
Sophomore forward Tekia Mack is another Scarlet Knight that has come on strong as of late. The Chicago, Illinois native missed the first three games of the season with an elbow injury and was averaging only 1.8 points per game following RU's Big Ten opener with Northwestern on Dec. 28.
Most recently, "T-Baby" as she is known to her teammates has scored in double figures in three of the last seven games, including a career night on Jan. 18 at Indiana. The Chicago, Illinois native shot 10-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-4 from downtown, to log a career-high 24 points.
Mack surpassed her previous high of 13 set last season against the 2017 defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks at the Gulf Coast Showcase during the Thanksgiving break.
Freshman Noga Peleg Pelc was a big part of the Rutgers comeback against Iowa in the Big Ten semifinals. The rookie guard netted 14 points, her first double-figure scoring effort since her career-high 19 in the nonconference final against Brown back on Jan. 4.
COME BACK KIDS
Rutgers avenged two of its losses this season.
After a 60-46 setback to Minnesota on Feb 3, the Scarlet Knights rebounded for a 60-54 victory over the Golden Gophers on Feb. 28. Minnesota led by as many as nine midway thru the third quarter before going on to outscore the Golden Gophers 32-17 for the victory to clinch the three seed for the Big Ten Tournament and give RU its first 20-win regular season since 2014-15.
Rutgers also managed to even the season series with Ohio State. After suffering a 59-39 loss to the Buckeyes, the Scarlet Knights rallied for a 66-56 win over Ohio State to close the regular season out on a three-game win streak. Rutgers trailed by 16 in the first quarter, but used a 41-18 second half to push ahead to victory.
IT AIN'T OVER, TILL IT'S OVER
The Rutgers women's basketball team had one of its greatest comebacks of the season in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals against eventual tournament champion and No. 10 Iowa.
RU fought back from 20-point third quarter deficit in trying to play its way into the Big Ten championship game.
Rutgers trailed 51-31 with 4:51 left in the third quarter before a fourth quarter surge brought the Scarlet Knights to within three on three occasions late in the fourth quarter.
Iowa led 61-47 with 8:02 left in the game when the Scarlet Knights began the comeback. Rutgers rattled off 11-unanswered points over the next three minutes and the once 20-point Hawkeye lead was whittled down to a possession.
DON'T COUNT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS OUT
In the last four games, Rutgers has outscored its opposition, 84-41, in the fourth quarter including 23-15 against the Big Ten Champion and No. 10 Hawkeyes.
UP NEXT
With a win over Buffalo, the Rutgers women's basketball team will advance to meet the winner between No. 2 Connecticut and No. 15 Towson in NCAA Second Round action on Sunday. Game time and television information will be determined at the conclusion of first round contests.
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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Players Mentioned
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