PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team (12-19, 3-15 B1G) defeated Army (25-8, 14-4 Patriot) in the second round of the WNIT on Sunday, March 23 at Jersey Mike's Arena.
JoJo Lacey led a group of four Scarlet Knights in double-figures with 17 points. Destiny Adams also recorded her 16th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Zachara Perkins came close to her first double-double in her first postseason appearance with 13 points and nine boards. Awa Sidibe chipped in 13 points in the win as well.
How it Happened
- Rutgers got out in front early as Chyna Cornwell drew a foul on the first possession and hit both free throws. Army answered with a three, but JoJo Lacey came back with three of her own to ignite the spark for Rutgers. The team went onto hit two more field goals to go on a 7-0 run and get ahead, 9-3.
- Army cashed in on a free throw, but the Scarlet Knights didn't let up, going on another 9-0 stretch. Awa Sidibe added six consecutive points in the spurt before Army called its first timeout with 6:15 to play and RU ahead, 18-4.
- Army ended its drought out of the stop with back-to-back jumpers to cut the deficit to 10, and force a Rutgers timeout at the 4:59 mark.
- Both teams added a field goal following the pause, but the opposition also hit a three to make the score 20-13.
- The teams traded buckets before the end of the opening quarter, but the Scarlet Knights remained in control, 24-17.
- Army got on the board first in the second period, but Cornwell was quick to answer with a three-point play. Adams capped off the five-point run with a layup.
- Army came back with a three-pointer, but Zachara Perkins beat the shot clock with a contested layup to keep the 31-22 lead with 6:14 to play.
- Adams cashed in on a pair of free throws and the Scarlet Knights retained the 11-point edge at the 4:21 media timeout.
- After the stop it was all Rutgers, with Lacey and Adams combining for seven points to put a bow on an 11-0 stretch.
- Army ended the half with five points in a row to make the score 40-27 at the half.
- Army started off the third quarter with six consecutive points to put the game back within single digits, 40-33.
- Mya Petticord got Rutgers going with her first three, but Army came charging back with three points to keep the score within seven, with just under six to play.
- Lacey added her second three ball, but the opponent snuck in a pull up jumper just before the 4:48 media timeout. RU still stayed in control though, 46-38.
- Army continued to chip away at its deficit, adding two more jumpers out of the stop to wipe the lead to four, 46-42. However, Sidibe gave her team a huge spark with back-to-back driving layups to extend the Rutgers lead back to eight. Perkins added another layup just before the 1:28 media timeout.
- Army ended the period with five points to bring the difference back down however, 52-47.
- The back and forth continued into the final 10 minutes as Army kept a five-point difference, 56-51, with just under seven minutes remaining. The opposition got the difference down to three to force another RU timeout.
- Perkins fought through for another contested layup, but Army converted on a three-point play to make it a two-point game.
- Petticord answered with three shots at the line, however, to keep things under control. She then continued her six-point streak with a clutch three to further push the advantage, 64-56, with 3:39 left in regulation.
- Perkins once again cashed in on a layup to give Rutgers the 66-56 lead at the 1:17 called Army timeout.
- Both teams added free throws down the stretch, but the Scarlet Knights held on to the lead to come out with a 71-60 victory.
Knights Notes
- JoJo Lacey paced RU with 17 points, her third highest single game total of the campaign. She has led the team in points five times this season and amassed double figures in 17 contests.
- Destiny Adams recorded her 16th double-double of the season, fourth in a row and 24th of her career against Army. With 12 points and 10 rebounds, she has reached double-digits in 27 games this season including 18 of the last 19 outings.
- Adams and Lacey both totaled four assists each to lead the Scarlet Knights. Lacey also topped the stats with two steals while Adams led the way with three blocks.
- Petticord knocked down two threes on Sunday. She has hit multiple deep balls in 14 outings this season and in seven of the last eight games.
- Awa Sidibe netted 13 points against Army, her fourth double digit performance in a row. She has reached double digit scoring five times.
- Four Scarlet Knights netted 10+ points for the sixth time this season. When the team hits that mark, they are 5-1.
- Rutgers won the battle off the boards, 41-34.
Volume Up
Looking Ahead
Rutgers will advance to the WNIT Super 16, where the team will face the winner of Chareston/Howard from March 26-28. The location is still TBD.
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