AUBURN, Ala. – Rutgers women's basketball (4-2) fought till the very end, but fell at Auburn (6-0), 51-46.  

Zachara Perkins led the team with 15 points while Nene Ndiaye added 12. Ndiaye also paced the team off the glass with eight rebounds.  

The close contest featured five lead changes and three ties.  

The Tigers were up by 16 late in the third, but the Scarlet Knights worked to get the difference to three points in the final seconds. Nene Ndiaye led the effort with six points in the fourth, although the team could not get in front of the opposition.  

How it Happened 

• Zachara Perkins got Rutgers out to an early lead with a three with just over 8:30 to play. Auburn quickly responded with a 6-0 run though, to take the edge, 6-3. 
• Imani Lester responded with a long jumper to put the game within one point with just under 6:30 to go. Perkins followed up with a put back to reverse the lead with RU in front, 7-6.  
• Out of the 4:47 media timeout, the Tigers hit a layup to regain the one-point lead.  
• Kaylah Ivey hit a shot from deep at the top of the key to put the Scarlet Knights in front by two, just under two minutes to play. The Tigers were quick to tie the score back at 10-all with two free throws, however.  
• With a minute left in the opening period, Perkins outscored Auburn 4-2, including a layup at the buzzer to give Rutgers a 14-12 advantage heading into the second quarter.  
• Perkins kept the momentum going, with another bucket to start the second. Nene Ndiaye too kept the offense motivated with a second chance layup to widen the gap, 18-12.  
• Antonia Bates continued a 7-0 run for RU with a free throw, but the Tigers scored their first points of the period with a three at 6:39 to make the score 19-15.  
• AU bounced back once again with a layup to force a Rutgers timeout at the 5:46 mark and make the score 19-17.  
• Out of the break, Lester added two from the charity stripe to stretch the lead back to four points. Auburn responded with back-to-back layups to tie the score 21-21 with just over three minutes remaining in the half.  
• The Tigers continued their run with one more score before the end of the half to take the 23-21 lead into the locker room.  
• AU got on the board first in the third quarter, with a layup and two free throws to grow the gap, 27-21.  
• The Tigers cashed in on a long two and another breakaway layup to go up by 10 points, 31-21. RU called another timeout with 6:03 to play.  
• The score stayed the same at the 4:44 media timeout.  
• Auburn continued its 14-0 run to stay up, 37-21.  
• In the final two minutes, RU came back with an 8-0 run of its own, to cut the deficit, 37-29. The stretch included six points from Nene Ndiaye and two at the line from Lester.  
• AU hit the final shot of the third to get back on top by 10, 39-29.  
• The opposition recorded a layup to open scoring in the final period. Nene Ndiaye matched the points with a pair of free throws.  
• Janae Walker and Perkins combined for five points, while the opponent hit two shots at the line, to put the score within six, 43-36. 
• The Tigers hit one more bucket before the 4:47 media timeout to keep the eight-point lead.  
• Out of the stop, Ivey cashed in on her second three of the night in addition to a jumper to put the score within three points, 45-42, and force an Auburn timeout with 3:57 to play.  
• AU came up with a three, but Perkins made both of her shots at the line to keep it close, 47-44.  
• With 10 seconds remaining, Auburn netted one final layup to keep the lead, 49-44. Both teams added two more shots at the charity stripe each, but the Tigers still ultimately came out on top, 51-46.  

Knights Notes   

• Zachara Perkins led the team with 15 points, her third game in a row with 10+ and fifth of the season.  
• Nene Ndiaye reached double-digits for the sixth straight contest with 12 points. She paces RU with 15.8 points per game.  
• Ivey recorded two shots from beyond the arc on Thursday and has multiple threes in all six contests this season.  
• Rutgers and Auburn tied on the boards with 37 rebounds each. However, RU won the battle off the offensive glass, 13-9. 

Next Up 

Rutgers will return to Jersey Mike's Arena to host Siena on Monday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m.  

Follow Along       

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.