Sunday, February 16
Piscataway, N.J.
12:00 PM (ET)
Rutgers University
vs
Michigan
PINK GAME: Women's Hoops vs. Michigan
Feb 15 | Women's Basketball
Scarlet Knights join the fight against cancer, hosting the Wolverines on Big Ten Network
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Feb. 15, 2020) - Rutgers women's basketball (17-7, 7-6) hosts Michigan (16-8, 7-6) in the final leg of a home-and-home season series at the RAC on Sunday, Feb. 16 at noon. The annual Play4Kay Pink Game is presented by RWJBarnabas Health and the Rutgers Cancer Institute.
The Scarlet Knights are 10-2 at home this season and 36-7 over the last three seasons at the RAC. The home-court advantage 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. Rutgers is looking to knock Michigan out of a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten, while avenging a 71-57 loss in Ann Arbor on Jan. 26.
STATE OF SUCCESS: Boosted by a 15-2 start to the season - Rutgers' best to open a campaign since the 1990-91 squad started 16-1 - the Scarlet Knights have clinched their third straight winning regular season and 16th in the last 17 years under Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer.
B1G TIME: C. Vivian Stringer, the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play with 219 victories, leads the Scarlet Knights through the conference slate one year after RU's most successful season in the league since joining in '14-15. Rutgers' 13 regular season Big Ten wins, the No. 3 B1G Tournament seed and the tourney semis finish in '18-19 were all program bests.
TRAPEZOID OF TERROR: Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 215-50 (.810) at the RAC. RU is 36-7 (.837) over the last three seasons at home, finished out 2018-19 at 13-2 and started this season 10-2.
OK, KK!: Senior point guard Khadaizha "KK" Sanders is six assists away from becoming the 10th player in Rutgers women's basketball history to reach the 400 career assists mark.
AG1K: Redshirt junior guard Arella Guirantes is the second leading scorer in the Big Ten at 19.1 points per game (23rd nationally). Guirantes became the 38th player in Rutgers history to score her 1,000th career point in a Scarlet Knight uniform. She scored 288 at Texas Tech as a freshman, 386 as a redshirt sophomore at Rutgers, and 439 this season "On the Banks." She has been honored in six Big Ten weekly awards this year, twice as the Big Ten Player of the Week and four times on the weekly honor roll.
PLAYING B1G: Rutgers has owned the paint this season, outscoring opponents by an average of 13.4 points per game down low. The Scarlet Knights are 17-4 this season when outscoring opponents in the paint. RU has outrebounded 13 of its last 18 opponents and ranks fourth in the B1G in average rebounding margin at +4.3.
RESUME BUILDING: Rutgers has received votes in 12 of 15 AP Top 25 Polls this season. RU is currently listed No. 53 in the RPI rankings with victories over No. 35 Purdue and No. 51 Virginia, with losses to No. 14 Indiana, No. 22 LSU and No. 33 Michigan.
D-FENCE: The Scarlet Knights' 17 wins have been fueled by stifling defense. RU ranks No. 8 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at .340 and No. 19 in the nation in scoring defense at 55.4 points allowed per game. RU leads the Big Ten in points allowed and field goal percentage defense, and has held 23 of 24 opponents under their scoring averages, while doing the same in 53 of its last 56 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.
• Jordan Wallace surpassed her previous career-high point total of 16 with seven minutes to go in the second quarter at MSU on Thursday.
• Tekia Mack is Rutgers' leading passer over the past six games with 24 assists (4.1 per game), including a career-high 7 vs. Penn State.
• After averaging 12.6 minutes and 3.1 points per game over her first 16 contests, Zipporah Broughton has averaged 29.3 minutes over the her five games and averaged 7.0 points per contest over that span.
• RU's +23 rebounding (42-19) margin against Penn State was the program's highest in a B1G game since joining the conference in 2014-15.
• Penn State's 39 points was Rutgers' second lowest allowed since joining the Big Ten. It was the lowest allowed since Illinois' 37 in 2018.
• Illinois' .264 shooting on Jan. 30 was RU's lowest field goal percentage allowed in a Big Ten game since Michigan managed a mark of .262 on 2/8/15.
• KK Sanders is 6 assists away from becoming the 10th player in RU history with 400.
• At least two players have scored in double-figures in 23 of 24 games.
• RU is 15-2 when three or more score in double-digits.
• Rutgers is 17-4 when scoring more points in the paint and more points off turnovers.
• The Scarlet Knights have held 53 of its last 56 opponents under their scoring average. Since the beginning of 2017-18, RU has held 82 of its last 88 opponents under their scoring average.
Rutgers, as a team or individually, is ranked in the Top 25 in the nation in five statistical categories through games played on Feb. 14, including a pair of Top 20 marks in key defensive figures.
• Team: FG% defense (9th - .340)
• Team: Scoring defense (19th - 55.4)
• Arella Guirantes: Points/gm (23rd - 19.1)
• Arella Guirantes: FT made (24th - 111))
• Arella Guirantes: FG attemtps (23rd - 377)
Rutgers plays its final regular season road game at Northwestern on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. ET (7 CT).
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Scarlet Knights are 10-2 at home this season and 36-7 over the last three seasons at the RAC. The home-court advantage 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. Rutgers is looking to knock Michigan out of a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten, while avenging a 71-57 loss in Ann Arbor on Jan. 26.
| ON THE AIR |
- Watch on BTN (Play-by-play: Jason Horowitz, Color Analyst: Christy Winters Scott)
- Listen on WCTC 1450 AM (Play-by-play: Ralph Bednarczyk, Color Analyst: Dom Savino)
- Listen on WRSU 88.7 FM (Play-by-play: Justin Sontupe and Chris Tsakonas)
| PROMOTIONS |
- PLAY4KAY PINK GAME sponsored by RWJBarnabas Health and the Rutgers Cancer Institute | The first 500 fans will receive a pink rally towel - and it's more than just a towel. It's an opportunity to honor and celebrate the life or lives of the people in your life who have been affected by cancer. Rutgers encourages fans to write in who they stand for on the towel. Throughout the game, we will honor cancer survivors, those currently battling, those we have lost to the battle and the caregivers who provide the treatment and support they need.
- Cancer survivors and those currently battling cancer have the opportunity to claim up to two complimentary tickets to the game. Additional tickets can be purchased at a special rate. To claim and/or purchase your tickets to the game, click here: https://go.rutgers.edu/5omj2163
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Kids' Corner is open one hour prior to the game. The Rutgers Geology Museum will be in the building, teaching kids about dinosaurs and fossils. There will also be face painting. The Dino & Fossil activities include: Make a 3D mastodon, Stegosaurus hats, Fossil ID game, Touch a fossil.
- Student For a Day - Tickets starting at $10 for general seating in the student section.
| THE SCOUT |
- The Wolverines (16-8, 7-6) will head to Rutgers for the first time in two seasons, looking for its first-ever win at the RAC.
- Michigan is 3-1 in the month of February, highlighted by a 15-point win over No. 17-ranked Iowa (Feb. 2) to begin the month. U-M is up to No. 35 in the latest RPI, with its strength of schedule coming in at No. 18.
- Sophomore Amy Dilk has totaled 28 assists over the last four games, highlighted by back-to-back games with eight helpers against Purdue (Feb. 6) and Minnesota (Feb. 10). On the season, Dilk is averaging 4.5 assists per game to rank fifth in the Big Ten.
- Naz Hillmon leads Michigan with 17.1 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per contest.
| HEAD-TO-HEAD |
| KNIGHT NOTES |
B1G TIME: C. Vivian Stringer, the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten play with 219 victories, leads the Scarlet Knights through the conference slate one year after RU's most successful season in the league since joining in '14-15. Rutgers' 13 regular season Big Ten wins, the No. 3 B1G Tournament seed and the tourney semis finish in '18-19 were all program bests.
TRAPEZOID OF TERROR: Since the 2002-03 season, the Scarlet Knights have gone 215-50 (.810) at the RAC. RU is 36-7 (.837) over the last three seasons at home, finished out 2018-19 at 13-2 and started this season 10-2.
OK, KK!: Senior point guard Khadaizha "KK" Sanders is six assists away from becoming the 10th player in Rutgers women's basketball history to reach the 400 career assists mark.
AG1K: Redshirt junior guard Arella Guirantes is the second leading scorer in the Big Ten at 19.1 points per game (23rd nationally). Guirantes became the 38th player in Rutgers history to score her 1,000th career point in a Scarlet Knight uniform. She scored 288 at Texas Tech as a freshman, 386 as a redshirt sophomore at Rutgers, and 439 this season "On the Banks." She has been honored in six Big Ten weekly awards this year, twice as the Big Ten Player of the Week and four times on the weekly honor roll.
PLAYING B1G: Rutgers has owned the paint this season, outscoring opponents by an average of 13.4 points per game down low. The Scarlet Knights are 17-4 this season when outscoring opponents in the paint. RU has outrebounded 13 of its last 18 opponents and ranks fourth in the B1G in average rebounding margin at +4.3.
RESUME BUILDING: Rutgers has received votes in 12 of 15 AP Top 25 Polls this season. RU is currently listed No. 53 in the RPI rankings with victories over No. 35 Purdue and No. 51 Virginia, with losses to No. 14 Indiana, No. 22 LSU and No. 33 Michigan.
D-FENCE: The Scarlet Knights' 17 wins have been fueled by stifling defense. RU ranks No. 8 in the nation in field goal percentage defense at .340 and No. 19 in the nation in scoring defense at 55.4 points allowed per game. RU leads the Big Ten in points allowed and field goal percentage defense, and has held 23 of 24 opponents under their scoring averages, while doing the same in 53 of its last 56 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 |
• Tekia Mack is Rutgers' leading passer over the past six games with 24 assists (4.1 per game), including a career-high 7 vs. Penn State.
• After averaging 12.6 minutes and 3.1 points per game over her first 16 contests, Zipporah Broughton has averaged 29.3 minutes over the her five games and averaged 7.0 points per contest over that span.
• RU's +23 rebounding (42-19) margin against Penn State was the program's highest in a B1G game since joining the conference in 2014-15.
• Penn State's 39 points was Rutgers' second lowest allowed since joining the Big Ten. It was the lowest allowed since Illinois' 37 in 2018.
• Illinois' .264 shooting on Jan. 30 was RU's lowest field goal percentage allowed in a Big Ten game since Michigan managed a mark of .262 on 2/8/15.
• KK Sanders is 6 assists away from becoming the 10th player in RU history with 400.
• At least two players have scored in double-figures in 23 of 24 games.
• RU is 15-2 when three or more score in double-digits.
• Rutgers is 17-4 when scoring more points in the paint and more points off turnovers.
• The Scarlet Knights have held 53 of its last 56 opponents under their scoring average. Since the beginning of 2017-18, RU has held 82 of its last 88 opponents under their scoring average.
| NATIONAL RANKS |
• Team: FG% defense (9th - .340)
• Team: Scoring defense (19th - 55.4)
• Arella Guirantes: Points/gm (23rd - 19.1)
• Arella Guirantes: FT made (24th - 111))
• Arella Guirantes: FG attemtps (23rd - 377)
| UP NEXT |
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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