ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Despite a career day from JoJo Lacey, Rutgers women's basketball (8-11, 0-8 B1G) fell to RV/RV Michigan (13-3, 4-3 B1G), 87-71, on the road Saturday afternoon.
JoJo Lacey led scoring with a career best 27 points and six threes. Deastiny Adams secured her fourth consecutive double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Lisa Thompson also ended the day with 13 points.
How it Happened
- Zachara Perkins got things going with a three off the jump ball and Destiny Adams followed up with a layup. Michigan answered with a field goal and two free throws to make the score 5-4 with just over 7:30 to play.
- Lisa Thompson and Adams kept the offense going with another pair of layups to stay ahead. Awa Sidibe also got on the board with a long two before four points from the Wolverines.
- Each team added another bucket before the 4:45 media timeout but the Scarlet Knights retained the one-point lead, 13-12.
- Out of the break, UM netted a three-pointer, but Adams cashed in on another layup to tie it up, 15-15.
- Michigan outscored Rutgers 12-2 in the final minutes of the opening period to come away with the 27-17 edge.
- Adams picked right back up in the second with a layup through traffic off an offensive rebound from Perkins to keep the play alive. Thompson stayed closely behind with another layup, and a turnover from the Wolverines on the other end, to make it a six-point game, 27-21.
- UM did not score their first points of the quarter until the 6:24 mark, with a free throw. JoJo Lacey hit her first deep ball of the game to continue to chip away at the difference, 28-24.
- Adams cashed in on another contested layup to get her to double-digit scoring with 10 points at the 4:32 media timeout. RU only trailed by two, 28-26.
- It took Michigan until the 4:11 mark to hit its first field goal of the quarter, with a three to extend the difference to five points.
- Both teams matched points through the two-minute mark but the Wolverines ended the half on 4-0 stretch to take the 37-28 advantage into the locker room.
- Adams hit a jumper to start the third and bring the deficit back down to seven points at the 9:04 stop on the court.
- The two teams once against went and forth on the floor, trading points and turnovers in the first few minutes of play. Michigan netted a three with just under six minutes to go to extend its lead back to double figures, 45-35.
- After the 4:47 media timeout, UM made four consecutive shots at the charity stripe to widen the gap to 14 points.
- Lacey recorded her third three of the day in addition to a second-chance score from Adams to give the RU offense a spark.
- Michigan continued to produce on offense as well, to keep a 14-point lead, 58-44, and forcing an RU timeout with 1:00 left in the third. The opposition added one more score before the end of the period to stay ahead, 60-44.
- The Wolverines picked up four fouls by the 8:57 mark. Adams drew the last and sank both free throws.
- Lacey netted her fourth three of the contest, but Michigan did not let up, adding a layup and two three-pointers of its own to keep the 71-52 edge as Rutgers used its third timeout with 6:51 to play.
- Each program added a free throw at the halfway point of the period to keep the 21-point difference. Both sides continued to trade points as Lacey hit two more threes to bring her total to 6 buckets from beyond the arc.
- In the final moments of the outing, the Scarlet Knights outscore the Wolverines, 13-7, including six points from Lisa Thompson.
- UM still came out with the ultimate victory, 87-71.
Knight Notes
- JoJo Lacey scored a career-high 27 points, besting her previous best of 23 which she set with Boston College. The graduate student also netted a career best six threes, one above her previous best.
- Lacey also brought in six rebounds, including a team best five off the offensive glass.
- Destiny Adams ended with 18 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season, fourth in a row, and the 18h of her career.
- Lisa Thompson also ended in double figures with 13 points. The performance marks her third of the season with 10+ points. She also added four assists.
- Awa Sidibe continues her solid defensive play as she recorded four steals and six rebounds. She also paced the squad with five helpers.
- Rutgers outscored Michigan 11-10 in the second quarter and the teams tied 27-27 in the fourth quarter.
Looking Ahead
RU will return home to Jersey Mike's Arena on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. to face No. 1/1 UCLA. The contest will be televised live on Fox Sports 1.
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