#20 Rutgers Women’s Basketball Wins 10th Straight Topping #17 Michigan State 76-62

The Rutgers women’s basketball team won its tenth straight game on Sunday afternoon as they steamrolled past 17th ranked Michigan State at the RAC by the final score of 76-62. The Scarlet Knights trailed 5-0 at the start and then took control the rest of the way, leading by 18 points entering the fourth quarter. The Spartans cut the lead to 10 points with over seven minutes to play, but never got closer from there with Rutgers winning by 14 points.

Stasha Carey continued her strong play this season with her most dominant performance yet, scoring a career high 30 points on 12 of 15 shooting and 6 of 8 from the free throw line. She added 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal. Arella Guirantes also continued to provide scoring punch with 19 points, including two three-pointers, and added 7 boards.

No other Rutgers player scored in double figures, but there were several other strong performances, including CC Cryor dishing out 12 assists, her third game with double digit assists this season. In addition, Victoria Harris provided a solid 6 point, 7 rebound, 3 block effort.

As a team, Rutgers shot 51.9% from the field and made 15 of 18 free throws for 83.3%. The defense of RU continued to be its calling card this season, as they held Michigan State to 37.1% from the floor and registered a +3 rebounding margin. Rutgers held a 40-26 edge with points in the paint and 19-11 advantage with fast break points. Both teams committed 17 turnovers, but Rutgers held a 22-13 edge in points off of them.

Michigan State came into the game leading the Big Ten in scoring with 80 points per game, but were held 18 points below their average. Rutgers has held all 18 opponents this season below its season scoring average.

The Spartans own two top ten wins this season over then #3 Oregon and just beat #9 Maryland by 17 points earlier this week. Rutgers now has two ranked wins this season over both then #4 Maryland and Michigan State. They are off to the best start ever since joining the Big Ten with a 7-0 record and sit alone in first place. It was the tenth straight victory for C. Vivian Stringer’s team who are now 15-3 overall this season.

Next Up, Rutgers takes on coach Stringer’s old team #22 Iowa (14-4; 5-2) on the road. The Hawkeyes are on a three-game winning streak and both teams should move up the rankings on Monday when the new AP poll is announced. It will be an important test for the Scarlet Knights in their quest for a Big Ten title.

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