Monday, January 20
Piscataway, N.J.
6:00 PM (ET)
Rutgers University
vs
Michigan State
Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)
Game 18: Women's Hoops vs. Michigan State
Jan 19 | Women's Basketball
First-place Scarlet Knights are 34-6 over the last three seasons at the RAC.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 19, 2020) - Rutgers women's basketball (15-2, 5-1) looks to protect first place in the Big Ten on Monday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. against Michigan State at the RAC, airing live on Big Ten Network.
The Scarlet Knights are 8-1 at home this season and 34-6 over the last three seasons at the RAC. The home-court advantage has helped fuel a 15-2 start to the year, Rutgers' best opening to a season since the 1990-91 squad began 16-1 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.
HISTORIC START: Rutgers is 15-2, signaling its best start to a season during the C. Vivian Stringer era (since 1995) and best overall since the 1990-91 squad opened 16-1 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.
B1G TIME: C. Vivian Stringer, the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play with 217 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 15.5 points per game down low. The Scarlet Knights are 15-1 this season when outscoring opponents in the paint. RU has outrebounded 10 of its last 11 opponents and ranks third in the B1G in rebounding margin at +5.8.
B1G HONORS: Redshirt Jr. guard Arella Guirantes is 21 points away from 1,000 for her career. She leads the Big Ten in scoring at 19.1 points per game (29th 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.
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. 26 in the RPI rankings with three victories against teams in the current RPI Top 30 (#29 Virginia, #27 Georgia Tech and #25 Purdue).
TRAPEZOID OF TERROR: Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 213-49 (.814) at the RAC. RU is 34-6 (.850) over the last three seasons at home, finished out 2018-19 at 13-2 and started this season 8-1.
D-FENCE: The Scarlet Knights' 15 wins have been fueled by stifling defense. RU ranks No. 4 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at .327 and No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense at 53.1 points allowed per game. RU, who leads the Big Ten in points allowed and field goal percentage defense, has held 16 of 17 opponents under its scoring average, while doing the same in 46 of its last 49 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 has swiped double-digit steals in four straight Big Ten games, and in five of its last six.
• Tyia Singleton scored a career-high 8 points in the Illinois win, and matched it two games later in a victory at Penn State.
• Eight of Jordan Wallace's game-high nine rebounds at Penn State came on the offensive glass.
• 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 17 games. RU is 13-0 when three or more score in double-digits.
• At least three Scarlet Knights have scored in double-figures in each game of the four-game Big Ten winning streak.
• Nine different Scarlet Knights have scored at least one point on six occasions this season.
• Rutgers is 15-1 when scoring more points in the paint and more points off turnovers.
• The Scarlet Knights have held 46 of its last 49 opponents under their scoring average. Since the beginning of 2017-18, RU has held 75 of its last 81 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 four statistical categories through games played on Jan. 17, including a pair of Top 10 marks in key defensive figures..
• Team: FG% defense (4th - .327)
• Team: Scoring defense (7th - 53.1)
• Arella Guirantes: FT made (16th - 79)
• Arella Guirantes: FT attempts (22nd - 103)
Rutgers flies to Michigan for a Big Ten road game on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Scarlet Knights are 8-1 at home this season and 34-6 over the last three seasons at the RAC. The home-court advantage has helped fuel a 15-2 start to the year, Rutgers' best opening to a season since the 1990-91 squad began 16-1 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.
| ON THE AIR |
- Watch on BTN (Play-by-play: Jason Horowitz, Color: Julianne Viani)
- Listen on WCTC 1450 AM (Play-by-play: Ralph Bednarczyk, Color: Mark Peterson)
- Listen on WRSU 88.7 FM (Play-by-play: Brant Wolff and Chris Tsakonas)
| PROMOTIONS |
- $5 Tickets!
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Celebrating unity and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. All kids are invited to participate in the CommUNITY essay contest PRIOR TO the game. The topic: fostering unity throughout your school, sports team or your community and how celebrating unity positively impacts the way we live our lives. One essay submission = one FREE ticket to the game. Parents & guardians will have the opportunity to purchase tickets at a discounted rate.
- Halftime | Drums of Thunder
| THE SCOUT |
- The Spartans (10-7, 3-3) are .500 in Big Ten play and have followed the same pattern of home/away success, or lack thereof, as their non-conference slate. MSU is 8-0 at home, but 2-7 away from East Lansing.
- Michigan State has won two straight, downing Wisconsin 69-52 and Ohio State 68-65 at home. All three Big Ten wins came in East Lansing, with the three losses on the road.
- With her second-straight 20-point game, Nia Clouden is now eighth in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 15.5 ppg. In league contests, Clouden is tied for 11th in scoring with 14.5 ppg. As a freshman, she averaged 12.0 ppg.
- The Spartans' 11.4 steals per game rank 15th in the nation. They also defend the three-point line exceptionally well, coming in 10th nationally with a .253 percentage allowed.
- Sophomore forward Kayla Belles swatted a career-high four blocks against Ohio State on Jan. 16. It was her fourth game this season with multiple blocks.
| HEAD-TO-HEAD |
| KNIGHT NOTES |
B1G TIME: C. Vivian Stringer, the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play with 217 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 15.5 points per game down low. The Scarlet Knights are 15-1 this season when outscoring opponents in the paint. RU has outrebounded 10 of its last 11 opponents and ranks third in the B1G in rebounding margin at +5.8.
B1G HONORS: Redshirt Jr. guard Arella Guirantes is 21 points away from 1,000 for her career. She leads the Big Ten in scoring at 19.1 points per game (29th 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.
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. 26 in the RPI rankings with three victories against teams in the current RPI Top 30 (#29 Virginia, #27 Georgia Tech and #25 Purdue).
TRAPEZOID OF TERROR: Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 213-49 (.814) at the RAC. RU is 34-6 (.850) over the last three seasons at home, finished out 2018-19 at 13-2 and started this season 8-1.
D-FENCE: The Scarlet Knights' 15 wins have been fueled by stifling defense. RU ranks No. 4 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at .327 and No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense at 53.1 points allowed per game. RU, who leads the Big Ten in points allowed and field goal percentage defense, has held 16 of 17 opponents under its scoring average, while doing the same in 46 of its last 49 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 |
• Tyia Singleton scored a career-high 8 points in the Illinois win, and matched it two games later in a victory at Penn State.
• Eight of Jordan Wallace's game-high nine rebounds at Penn State came on the offensive glass.
• 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 17 games. RU is 13-0 when three or more score in double-digits.
• At least three Scarlet Knights have scored in double-figures in each game of the four-game Big Ten winning streak.
• Nine different Scarlet Knights have scored at least one point on six occasions this season.
• Rutgers is 15-1 when scoring more points in the paint and more points off turnovers.
• The Scarlet Knights have held 46 of its last 49 opponents under their scoring average. Since the beginning of 2017-18, RU has held 75 of its last 81 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 (4th - .327)
• Team: Scoring defense (7th - 53.1)
• Arella Guirantes: FT made (16th - 79)
• Arella Guirantes: FT attempts (22nd - 103)
| UP NEXT |
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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