Rutgers claws back, holds on late in hard-fought win over Quinnipiac
Basketball is a game of numbers. But the only two that truly matter are the points for the winning team, and the points for the losing team. Rutgers Women’s Basketball finished ahead in that metric on Thursday.
The Scarlet Knights (2-0) had to battle to take down Quinnipiac, the MAAC’s runner-up last year and the conference’s projected second-place team in the preseason, but they used a big-time fourth quarter to take down the Bobcats (1-1) 64-55. Rutgers outscored Quinnipiac 26-11 in the fourth quarter, including a 15-6 run in the final five minutes to take control.
Nene Ndiaye had a career night in her second game at Rutgers, putting up a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds. Her former Boston College teammate Kaylah Ivey carried the guard room without Faith Blackstone – for the second straight game – and Lauryn Swann, as the graduate senior scored 19 points while playing all 40 minutes on the night.
“I thought we I thought we played some pretty intelligent basketball in the fourth quarter,” head coach Coquese Washington said after the game. “They were having trouble defending Nene, and we did a good job of getting her the ball, getting her looks, where she could be effective, driving, posting, in transition.”
Defensive shutdown
Neither team was able to take over any offensive momentum until Rutgers went on its big fourth-quarter run, due to a combination of the pace and physicality in the game.
Quinnipiac was whistled for 29 fouls in the game, with four players fouling out in the end. The Scarlet Knights were able to take over in the paint, often having four wings and/or forwards on the floor with Ivey as the lone guard. Facing a relatively smaller Quinnipiac rotation, Rutgers put up 28 points in the paint and outrebounded the Bobcats 40-30.
Trailing 44-38 entering the final frame, the Scarlet Knights turned up the heat defensively, putting a ton of pressure on Quinnipiac’s backcourt and forcing five turnovers in the fourth quarter, including three straight at one point.
“The fourth quarter, we really turned it up defensively,” Washington added. “We talked a lot more. We were a lot more connected, and again, this early in the season to have a game like that where we can learn how to play together, we can learn how to fight out a win, I think that’s going to serve us down the stretch of the season.”
Missed opportunities
The Scarlet Knights left too many points on the floor in the first half, and it kept them from grabbing the momentum back in the game, even when the Bobcats struggled offensively.
With the aforementioned foul troubles, Rutgers was at the free throw line plenty, but was unable to fully take advantage. As a team, the Scarlet Knights shot 20-for-37 from the charity stripe, though they did improve to an 11-for-17 mark in the fourth quarter.
Both teams scored just nine points apiece in the second quarter, as the same defensive intensity that won the game in the fourth quarter, was featured in spurts in the second. Rutgers still trailed at halftime, due to a 3-for-11 mark from the floor in the frame.
“I thought we missed a bunch of opportunities that we had at the rim,” Washington said after the game. “But we didn’t let that discourage us, and we kept going inside, and we got to the free-throw line. We wanted to be aggressive in the paint, and we just stayed the course.”
The frontcourt puzzle
Given the injuries to Blackstone and Swann, the Scarlet Knights’ guard room became unexpectedly thin – a phrase written all too often over the last three seasons. Where this Rutgers team differs, however, is the depth in the frontcourt.
While the Scarlet Knights no longer have the high-end talent of Destiny Adams and Chyna Cornwell, Washington has more options at her disposal, versatile ones at that. They came out with a starting lineup of Ivey, Ndiaye, Zachara Perkins, Imani Lester, and Janae Walker, and consistently switched around the forwards in different roles and spots.
Lester got off to a slow start in her follow-up performance after a career night on Monday against Wagner, but came alive in the fourth quarter. She finished with nine points and nine rebounds, with seven of her points coming in the fourth quarter. During the game, she appeared to be laboring a bit throughout the game – Washington joked afterwards that her junior forward has “old man’s feet” – but Lester was instrumental in the late-game run to seal the victory, including four possessions where Lester scored twice, and kicked out to Ivey for a made three-pointer late in the shot clock.
With the frontcourt weight not on one or two stars, the offense and defense both were able to come up big down the stretch, and as long as Rutgers is down two of their top options at guard, the forwards will continue to be relied on.
Injury update
Blackstone missed her second consecutive game with an undisclosed injury, while Swann appeared to injure her left ankle early on in Monday’s win, then played through it, before limping late in the game again.
She came out for warmups with a walking boot and crutches. Washington was not able to provide a specific timeline for either of their returns.
“They’re probably day-to-day, week-to-week,” she said. “We hope to have them back. I wish they were playing now, but it’ll just be depending on as their, I don’t even want to say injuries healed, but as they get ready to — when the doctor said they can play, that’s when they’re going to play.”
Up next
The Scarlet Knights will play their third game of the season on Sunday, suiting up for the third time in six days against Stony Brook. The game will start at 2 pm at Jersey Mike’s Arena, and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
💬 Wondering what other Rutgers fans are saying?
Head to The Round Table and jump into the discussion →
