Rutgers Women’s Basketball Defeats Penn State 69-61 To Remain Atop B1G Standings

The Rutgers women’s basketball team bounced back from Wednesday’s loss to Iowa with a 69-61 road win at Penn State. Despite a slow start by trailing as many as 7 points in the second quarter, Rutgers was able to lead by 1 at the half and extend its control from there. The Scarlet Knights shot 55.3% from the field in the second half and led by as much as 13 points before Penn State pulled within three at 52-50 with just over six minutes remaining in the game. Rutgers closed out the win on a 17-11 run on the road and remain in first place of the Big Ten standings. It also completed a season sweep of Penn State, who fell to 10-10 overall and 3-6 in league play.

As a team, Rutgers shot 48.3% from the floor while holding Penn State to just 30.8%. The Scarlet Knights held a +5 rebounding margin and dominated inside by owning a 38-14 advantage with points in the paint. The offensive attack was well-rounded though, as Rutgers made 5 of 12 attempts from three-point range for 44%. Despite just a +1 turnover margin, the Scarlet Knights took advantage of their opportunities and held a 20-9 edge in points off of turnovers. Rutgers once again held an opponent below its scoring average, something they’ve done in every game this season.

Stasha Carey led Rutgers in scoring and rebounding for the seventh time this season, producing 19 points on 8 of 16 shooting and 7 rebounds. Charise Wilson added 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting, including 3 of 5 from three-point range. CC Cryor continued her strong play at the point, scoring 9 points and dishing out 8 assists while committing just 2 turnovers. She added 3 rebounds and 2 steals as well.

The Scarlet Knights are now 16-4 overall this season and 8-1 in Big Ten play. They host Indiana (16-5; 5-4) this Thursday, January 31st at 7 p.m. ET at the RAC before traveling to play Minnesota (13-6; 2-6) on Sunday, February 3rd at 4 p.m. ET. In the latest AP Poll that was released on Monday afternoon, Rutgers dropped three spots to #17. Still, all that matters is being in first place in the Big Ten, as the Scarlet Knights control their destiny the rest of the way.