Rutgers Women’s Basketball Defeats Northwestern 45-41 In Big Ten Opener

The Rutgers women’s basketball team returned to the court on Friday night for its Big Ten opener against Northwestern. After leading by 11 points at the half and by as much as 16 in the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights trailed 41-40 with one minute and twenty seconds left in the game. That’s when Victoria Harris saved the day, stealing it away from the Wildcat and sealing the victory from the free throw line, where she made both shots after being fouled.

Charise Wilson iced it with two of her own, as Rutgers made 5 of 6 from the charity stripe in the final minute to win 45-41. Defense was again a strength for the Scarlet Knights, who held Northwestern (7-5) to its lowest scoring total of the season and 30 points below its season average.

Ciani Cryor led the Scarlet Knights with 13 points, 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Stasha Carey added 6 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and a blocked shot.

It was the 200th Big Ten win of head coach C. Vivian Stringer’s career, the first coach to achieve that milestone in conference history. This comes just a few weeks after her historic 1,000th win overall in her career.

Rutgers is now 8-3 on the season and will take on #4 Maryland (12-0) on New Year’s Eve this Monday at noon. For highlights of Friday’s win, watch here: