INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – No. 13 seed Rutgers women's basketball (11-20) concluded the 2021-22 season with a __ loss to five-seed and No. 14/12 ranked Indiana (20-7) in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
 
The Scarlet Knights battled the Hoosiers and were within striking distance at halftime down six before Indiana used a 16-11 third quarter with Rutgers starting point guard Shug Dickson on the shelf with an injury. Rutgers made another run in the fourth quarter to shrink the deficit to 59-51 with less than two minutes to play
 
The NCAA active career leader in double-doubles, Osh Brown, finished her college career with another, going for 12 points and 10 rebounds in the postseason loss to go with a team-high three assists. Sayawni Lassiter also poured in 12 on 5-of-9 shooting. Shug Dickson had eight points before exiting the game early in the third quarter with an injury. She did not return.
 
Rutgers won the rebounding battle, 35-30, and made the most of the offensive glass by outscoring the Hoosiers, 17-2, in second chance points. But the shooting disparity was too much to overcome with Indiana's 46 percent mark overshadowing Rutgers' 37 percent.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rutgers forced Indiana into five first-period turnovers as Osh Brown and Jailyn Mason each scored three points apiece. The Hoosiers hit a buzzer-beating three to end the first up, 16-10.
• The foes traded baskets through the midway point of the second with Tyia Singleton and Shug Dickson each converting two buckets. Indiana used a 7-0 run to build its first double-digit lead, but RU battled back with baskets by Mason and Brown over the final two minutes to keep the deficit at 32-26 going into half.
• Indiana shot 50 percent in the third while holding Rutgers to 27 percent from the floor, building a 48-37 lead with 10 minutes to play.
• Rutgers fought back from a double-digit deficit with an 8-0 run to get within eight points, but Indiana continued its shot-making to hold its late lead.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Osh Brown finished her collegiate career with 1,821 points. Her 1,389 rebounds also make her the NCAA active career leader and now ranks her No. 27 all-time in the NCAA career rebounds record book.
• Making its eighth appearance in the Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers is 6-8 all-time in the conference event.
• Rutgers outrebounded 25 of 31 opponents this season with an average margin of +6.2, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
• Double-figure scoring career marks: Brown (89^th), Sayawni Lassiter (6^th).
• The Starting 5 of Shug Dickson, Jailyn Mason, Lasha Petree, Tyia Singleton, and Osh Brown took the floor as the starting unit for the ninth time this season.
• RU is 6-6 all-time against Indiana, with Indiana having the 6-4 edge since RU joined the conference in 2014-15. This was the third meeting in the Big Ten Tournament, with Indiana going ahead 2-1 in those postseason meetings.

SOUND OFF

 


Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RutgersWBB) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -