Thursday, January 16
University Park, Pa.
7:00 PM (ET)
Rutgers University
at
Penn State
Game 17: Women's Hoops at Penn State
Jan 15 | Women's Basketball
Scarlet Knights look to win nine of their last 10 against the Nittany Lions
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Jan. 15, 2020) - Rutgers women's basketball (14-2, 4-1) visits Penn State (7-9, 1-4) in a Big Ten battle on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Scarlet Knights have started 4-1 or better in conference play in each of the last three seasons. The hot start to the Big Ten slate comes on the heels of Rutgers' best start to a season since the 1990-91 squad opened 15-1.
HISTORIC START: Rutgers is 14-2, signaling its best start to a season during the C. Vivian Stringer era (since 1995) and best overall since the 1990-91 squad opened 15-1 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.
B1G TIME: C. Vivian Stringer, the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play with 216 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 15.8 points per game down low. The Scarlet Knights are 14-1 this season when outscoring opponents in the paint. RU has outrebounded nine of its last 10 opponents and ranks third in rebounding margin at +5.9.
B1G HONORS: Redshirt Jr. guard Arella Guirantes leads the Big Ten in scoring at 19.7 points per game (23rd nationally). She has been honored by the Big Ten in six weekly honors this season. Guirantes is a two-time Big Ten Women's Basketball Player of the Week and four-time B1G Honor Roll listee in 2019-20. She is 31 points away from 1,000 for her career.
IN THE POLLS: Rutgers is once again receiving votes in both the AP (15 points) and and ESPN/USA Today Coaches (5 points) Polls. Rutgers received votes in both polls in Weeks 1-3 and 5-10. RU is currently listed No. 25 in the RPI rankings with three victories against teams in the current RPI Top 30 (#26 Virginia, #27 Purdue and #29 Georgia Tech).
D-FENCE: The Scarlet Knights' 14 wins have been fueled by stifling defense. RU ranks No. 3 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at .325 and No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense at 52.9 points allowed per game. RU, who leads the Big Ten in points allowed and field goal percentage defense, has held 15 of 16 opponents under its scoring average, while doing the same in 45 of its last 48 dating back to last season.
NEW-LOOK KNIGHTS: Rutgers women's basketball entered the 2019-20 season without four of the top five leaders in games started from last winter, returning 45% of its points and 35% rebounds. The eight returning Scarlet Knights (seven letterwinners) make up 29 percent of last year's games started. The projected starting lineup 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.
• Rutgers' six turnovers in the Nebraska victory marked the first time it stayed under 10 in a game since committing nine in a win over FDU on Dec. 20, 2017 and its lowest overall since their four turnovers at home against Wisconsin on Jan. 7, 2016.
• At least two players have scored in double-figures in all 16 games. RU is 12-0 when three or more score in double-digits and 2-0 when five or more accomplish double-figure scoring.
• Four Scarlet Knights have scored in double-figures in each game of the three-game Big Ten winning streak.
• Nine different Scarlet Knights have scored at least one point on six occasions this season.
• Rutgers is 14-1 when scoring more points in the paint and more points off turnovers.
• Arella Guirantes has scored at least 21 points in four of the last five games - all Big Ten contests.
• Guirantes set new career highs in free throws made and taken in the Towson win, connecting on 11-of-14 from the charity stripe.
• The Scarlet Knights have held 45 of its last 48 opponents under their scoring average. Since the beginning of 2017-18, RU has held 74 of its last 80 opponents under their scoring average.
• The victory at Wisconsin marked Rutgers' fourth comeback for a win after trailing by six points or more this season after erasing a six-point deficit to Georgia Tech, eight points against Harvard, and an 11-point disadvantage to Vanderbilt.
Rutgers, as a team or individually, is ranked in the Top 25 in the nation in five statistical categories through games played on Jan. 14, including a pair of Top 10 marks in key defensive figures..
• Team: FG% defense (3rd - .325)
• Team: Scoring defense (7th - 52.9)
• Arella Guirantes: FT made (16th - 77)
• Arella Guirantes: FT attempts (20th - 101)
• Arella Guirantes: Points/gm (23rd - 19.7)
Rutgers returns home to the RAC to host Michigan State on Monday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. live on Big Ten Network.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Scarlet Knights have started 4-1 or better in conference play in each of the last three seasons. The hot start to the Big Ten slate comes on the heels of Rutgers' best start to a season since the 1990-91 squad opened 15-1.
| ON THE AIR |
- Watch on BTN+
- Listen on WCTC 1450 AM (Play-by-play: Ralph Bednarczyk, Color: Mark Peterson)
- Listen on WRSU 88.7 FM (Play-by-play: Troy DeSavino and Connor Strohm)
| THE SCOUT |
- The Nittany Lions (7-9, 1-4) picked up their first Big Ten win of the season one week ago at home against Michigan State, 86-73, before an 80-70 setback at Ohio State.
- Four of Penn State's wins this season have come over 2019 NCAA Tournament teams.
- Junior Kamaria McDaniel is the Big Ten's second-leading scorer with 19.6 points per game. She averages 23.2 points per Big Ten game through five contests. Senior Siyeh Frazier (13.5 ppg) is also averaging double-digit points.
- Frazier and McDaniel became the first pair of Penn State players to both score 20-plus points in back-to-back games since the 2011-12 season.
| HEAD-TO-HEAD |
| KNIGHT NOTES |
B1G TIME: C. Vivian Stringer, the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play with 216 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 15.8 points per game down low. The Scarlet Knights are 14-1 this season when outscoring opponents in the paint. RU has outrebounded nine of its last 10 opponents and ranks third in rebounding margin at +5.9.
B1G HONORS: Redshirt Jr. guard Arella Guirantes leads the Big Ten in scoring at 19.7 points per game (23rd nationally). She has been honored by the Big Ten in six weekly honors this season. Guirantes is a two-time Big Ten Women's Basketball Player of the Week and four-time B1G Honor Roll listee in 2019-20. She is 31 points away from 1,000 for her career.
IN THE POLLS: Rutgers is once again receiving votes in both the AP (15 points) and and ESPN/USA Today Coaches (5 points) Polls. Rutgers received votes in both polls in Weeks 1-3 and 5-10. RU is currently listed No. 25 in the RPI rankings with three victories against teams in the current RPI Top 30 (#26 Virginia, #27 Purdue and #29 Georgia Tech).
D-FENCE: The Scarlet Knights' 14 wins have been fueled by stifling defense. RU ranks No. 3 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at .325 and No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense at 52.9 points allowed per game. RU, who leads the Big Ten in points allowed and field goal percentage defense, has held 15 of 16 opponents under its scoring average, while doing the same in 45 of its last 48 dating back to last season.
NEW-LOOK KNIGHTS: Rutgers women's basketball entered the 2019-20 season without four of the top five leaders in games started from last winter, returning 45% of its points and 35% rebounds. The eight returning Scarlet Knights (seven letterwinners) make up 29 percent of last year's games started. The projected starting lineup 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 16 games. RU is 12-0 when three or more score in double-digits and 2-0 when five or more accomplish double-figure scoring.
• Four Scarlet Knights have scored in double-figures in each game of the three-game Big Ten winning streak.
• Nine different Scarlet Knights have scored at least one point on six occasions this season.
• Rutgers is 14-1 when scoring more points in the paint and more points off turnovers.
• Arella Guirantes has scored at least 21 points in four of the last five games - all Big Ten contests.
• Guirantes set new career highs in free throws made and taken in the Towson win, connecting on 11-of-14 from the charity stripe.
• The Scarlet Knights have held 45 of its last 48 opponents under their scoring average. Since the beginning of 2017-18, RU has held 74 of its last 80 opponents under their scoring average.
• The victory at Wisconsin marked Rutgers' fourth comeback for a win after trailing by six points or more this season after erasing a six-point deficit to Georgia Tech, eight points against Harvard, and an 11-point disadvantage to Vanderbilt.
| NATIONAL RANKS |
• Team: FG% defense (3rd - .325)
• Team: Scoring defense (7th - 52.9)
• Arella Guirantes: FT made (16th - 77)
• Arella Guirantes: FT attempts (20th - 101)
• Arella Guirantes: Points/gm (23rd - 19.7)
| UP NEXT |
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- RU -
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F/G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballWomen’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Oregon
Thursday, January 29
Women’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Washington
Monday, January 26
Women’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Michigan
Friday, January 23
Women’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Maryland
Friday, January 09
