Tonight, history was made at the RAC. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights picked up their eighth conference victory 46-43 over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, giving head coach C. Vivian Stringer her record 177th Big Ten win. Congratulations coach on a legendary career!
Congrats to @RutgersWBB coach C. Vivian Stringer on becoming the all-time winningest coach in #B1GWBBall history. pic.twitter.com/FczIcQB135
— B1G Women's Hoops (@B1Gwbball) February 6, 2015
Not surprisingly, this matchup turned into a defensive slugfest. Both teams came close to scoring 30 points below their respective averages, as the Huskers shot a miserable 22.1% from the field. Rutgers didn't fare much better with a 32.2% field goal percentage. Betnijah Laney led all Knights with 16 points and recorded her 15th double-double of the season, grabbing 14 total rebounds. The rest of Big 3 struggled with the Nebraska defense, as Kahleah Copper failed to score double digits on the night. Tyler Scaife scored 12 points.
Tear'a Laudermill kept the Huskers close by sinking four threes, but her 5-28 shooting overall was a big factor in the loss. Nebraska shot an astonishing 30 three-point FG attempts, but they only made five total three-pointers. The Huskers had plenty of second-chance opportunities, but a horrific shooting night kept them from stealing a win on the road.
So with her eighth conference victory as head coach of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, C. Vivian Stringer becomes a fixture in Big Ten women's basketball. The legendary coach notched her best victory at the RAC this season so far, and her Knights look poised for a hot streak going into the tourney postseason.
Up next: Rutgers travels to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines before the final big test of the season - a road game against the #5 Maryland Terrapins.