IOWA CITY, Iowa – Arella Guirantes scored 34 points and Rutgers women's basketball (5-2, 1-2) erased a 20-point deficit, but Iowa (6-1, 2-1) shot 61 percent from the floor to reclaim a lead and hold on for a 90-84 win on Thursday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes have won 41 consecutive home games.
 
Guirantes shot 10-of-20 with a career-high tying five 3-pointers, going 9-of-9 from the free throw line and netting 14 of her points in the down-to-the-wire fourth quarter that was within three points at the 1:02 and 0:28 marks. Iowa hit a clutch three-pointer with 39 ticks left for an 84-78 lead that it held by way of six consecutive made free throws down the stretch.
 
The Scarlet Knights continued a historic offensive surge by scoring 80 or more points in a fifth straight game – a first since 1990-91 – with four or more players contributing double-digit scoring in a sixth consecutive game.

A 20-point Iowa advantage early in the second quarter all but disappeared by halftime as a relentless defensive press and hot shooting cut the deficit to two at the break. Mael Gilles, Diamond Johnson and Guirantes all reached double-figures in the second quarter, where Rutgers outscored the Hawkeyes 28-14 during the comeback.
 
Rutgers shot 50 percent in the first half with an 8-of-13 mark from three, but Iowa clung to a two-point lead at the intermission with their 60 percent grade from the field and matching RU with eight triples of their own.
 
The Scarlet Knights took the lead at 4:03 in the third on a Guirantes trey. Iowa took it right back, however, and eventually used a 6-0 spurt to regain a five-point cushion at 59-54. They would not trail again.
 
Guirantes passed out five assists and grabbed four steals in the setback. Johnson finished with 18 points and three assists, while Gilles netted 14 with six boards. Tekia Mack returned from a three-game injury absence with 12 points, six rebounds, six helpers and two blocked shots.
 
Iowa outshot RU 61% to 48% while making 12-of-22 from beyond the arc. The Hawkeyes had more turnovers (19-14), but won the rebounding battle, 29-22. Both teams shot well from the charity stripe, with RU's 15-of-16 performance (94%) edging Iowa's 18-of-21 (86%).
 
The Scarlet Knights play another Big Ten road game to kick off the 2021 portion of the schedule on Sunday, Jan. 3 at Nebraska at 3 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network+.


 
NOTES

• In a battle of the two Big Ten Co-Players of the Week, Arella Guirantes outscored Iowa's Caitlin Clark, 34-28. After the game, Clark leads the Big Ten in scoring with 27.1 per game with Guirantes in second with 24.6.
• Tekia Mack returned to the court and played all 40 minutes after missing the last three games with an injury. The senior scored 12 points with six boards, six assists, two blocks and a steal.
• This marks the first time Rutgers women's basketball has scored 80 or more points in five consecutive games since the 1990-91 squad scored 80-plus in five straight wins in January of a 23-7 campaign.
• Arella Guirantes eclipsed 30 points in a game for the second time this season, and the fourth time in her career - all against Big Ten opponents.
• Leading the country in steals at 16.4 per game before Wednesday, RU maintained that national lead with 15 against Iowa.
• Diamond Johnson has scored in double-figures in all seven of her collegiate games and has eclipsed 18 or more in three-straight.
• Arella Guirantes has 1,464 career points, the 14^th most of any player in history to wear the Scarlet Knights uniform. She has scored 1,176 of those at Rutgers.
• Rutgers has boasted four or more players in double-figures in six consecutive games.
• Iowa is now 9-3 in the all-time series and 7-1 as regular season Big Ten opponents.
• C. Vivian Stringer rolled out the Starting 5 of Zipporah Broughton, Arella Guirantes, Mael Gilles, Tekia Mack and Tyia Singleton for the fourth time this season.

 
 
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