PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 20, 2020) – Rutgers women's basketball (15-3, 5-2) dropped a Big Ten game to Michigan State (11-7, 4-3) at the RAC, 66-55, on Monday evening.
 
The Scarlet Knights erased a 12-point deficit to take its first lead early in the fourth quarter, largely on the back of Arella Guirantes' career-high 28 points and Rutgers committing its lowest turnover total (4) since 2016. However, the Spartans finished strong with a 15-2 run over the game's final seven minutes and finished the contest with a plus-21 rebounding margin (47-26).
 
"They out-rebounded us and they attacked us very well," said head coach C. Vivian Stringer. "They were well organized, and I'm not surprised. We've had close games in years past. For some reason, we weren't up for the task today."

STAT SHEET

• Guirantes notched a new career best with 28 points on 10-of-24 shooting with three 3-pointers. Her made free throw with 2:27 left in the third quarter cemented her 1,000^th point in her third season of college basketball.
• Tekia Mack added nine points and five rebounds, while Khadaizha Sanders handed out three assists to go with four boards.
• Rutgers shot .356 from the floor and .588 from the line compared to the Spartans' respective marks of .400 and .765.
• Michigan State matched its Big Ten season-high of nine three-pointers (9-of-19).
• Rutgers failed to have at least two players score in double-digits for the first time this season.

Arella Guirantes is TAKING OVER.

She has 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting with 3 three-pointers.

We go to the 4th down two ... 51-49. pic.twitter.com/NrLXb8d8ef

— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) January 21, 2020

TURNING POINT

The Scarlet Knights took its first lead of the game with 8:24 to play in the final quarter on Guirantes' historic basket giving her a new career-high for points in a game. The Spartans were not intimidated and stretched a 6-0 response into an eventual 15-2 run down the stretch to pull away for a conference win on the road.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Scarlet Knights and Spartans traded baskets throughout the first, but Michigan State did its damage from three-point range starting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc to go up 16-12.
• Guirantes' nailed back-to-back triples on consecutive RU possessions, but Michigan State's ensuing 12-2 run gave the visitors a double-digit lead at 32-22. Rutgers didn't make a field goal over the final 2:47 of the half and MSU went to the locker room on a 6-1 run and a 38-27 advantage.
• RU ran out of the break with a 9-3 spurt, but Michigan State's three-point prowess continued into the third quarter. The Spartans' seventh and eighth trey of the day secured a 44-38 lead with 4:42 to go in the third.
• Guirantes went on a tear to end the third. Her driving layup with 30 seconds left had RU down just two at 51-49, part of her 16 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting in the period.
• Rutgers erased the once-12-point deficit on Sanders' driving lay-in, then Guirantes gave Rutgers its first lead of the night at 53-51 with 8:24 left in the game. The Spartans immediately countered with a 6-0 spurt. RU went 0-of-8 during a 6:14 scoring drought took an insurmountable lead down the stretch.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Rutgers' four turnovers was its lowest in a game since its five against Wisconsin on Jan. 7, 2016.
• RU erased a deficit of 12 points to tie the game in the fourth. It was the third time this season RU has come back from down 10 points or more, but falls to 2-1 in those contests.
• In its 18^th game, Rutgers failed to produce at least two double-digit scorers for the first time this season.
• Michigan State ties up the all-time series 5-5 and takes a 4-3 lead as opponents in the Big Ten (since 2015).
• Guirantes is the 39^th player to record her 1,000^th career point as a Scarlet Knight. She scored 288 at Texas Tech as a freshman, 386 as a redshirt sophomore at Rutgers, and 326 this season "On the Banks." There are 36 members of the Rutgers Women's Basketball 1,000 Point Club, containing players that scored all of their points at Rutgers – led by Sue Wicks' 2,655 points scored from 1984-88.
• RU drops just its seventh game overall at home over the past three seasons (34-7 since the start of 2017-18).
• Rutgers has outscored all 18 opponents this season in points in the paint (34-22 vs. MSU) and in points off turnovers (17-3 vs. MSU).
• Holding Michigan State seven points under their season average of 73.4, Rutgers has held opponents under the season median in 17 of 18 games this season and in 47 of 50 dating back to last season.
• Rutgers rolled out the starting lineup of Khadaizha Sanders, Mael Gilles, Arella Guirantes, Tekia Mack and Jordan Wallace for the 17^th time in 18 games. Rutgers returned just 29 percent of its games started experience from last season's NCAA Tournament run.

UP NEXT

The Scarlet Knights fly out to Michigan for a Big Ten contest on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. ET.
 

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