Rutgers falls to Stony Brook as offense, paint defense struggles
Sunday was not kind to Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights (2-1) suffered their first loss to Stony Brook 71-54, as the Sea Wolves (2-1) took complete control of the game in the second half.
Rutgers led for just 57 seconds during the game, all in the first half.
Stony Brook won the game at the rim, as they recorded 36 points in the paint – compared to just 20 for the Scarlet Knights – and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, leading to 22 second-chance points. Rutgers was outrebounded 43-29 on the game as a whole.
Nene Ndiaye led the Scarlet Knights in scoring for the second straight game, scoring 16 points one game after a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds on Thursday. Imani Lester was the lone other Scarlet Knight in double-figures with 11 points. For Stony Brook, Janay Brantley led all scorers with 23 points on 8-for-21 shooting with five rebounds. Forward Caitlin Frost scored 21 points on 8-for-20 shooting, along with two three-pointers.
“We really struggled to get stops down the stretch,” head coach Coquese Washington said after the game. “I mean, we really struggled on both ends of the floor, [but] we struggled to get stops and we couldn’t get really get in the rhythm on offense. The foul trouble kind of bothers a little bit, but I just felt like we just couldn’t hunker down and get stops when we needed to.”
Second-half woes
Even after trailing for nearly the entire first half, Rutgers went into the locker room only down by three points at halftime. Int he second half, however, things fell apart.
The Sea Wolves opened both the third and fourth quarters with 9-2 runs, giving them momentum that the Scarlet Knights could not come back from.
“It was just the lack of getting stops when we needed to,” Washington said on the struggles to start the quarters. “And really, a lot of times, to start a run, it starts with your defense. And we just didn’t have the requisite stops when we needed to.”
Even after the opening run in the third quarter, Rutgers was able to battle back and draw within four points in the final minutes of the frame, and went into the fourth quarter trailing 50-45.
The fourth-quarter opening run sapped any chance of an effort like Thursday, where the Scarlet Knights’ defense locked down and controlled the tempo to end the game. Ndiaye and Frost exchanged layups to start the fourth, and from there, the Sea Wolves went on a 14-0 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to effectively end the game.
As a whole, Rutgers got outscored 38-24 in the second half, including 21-9 in the fourth quarter.
Controlling the paint
The Scarlet Knights trailed for all but 57 seconds in the first half, on the back of an efficient interior offense from the Sea Wolves. They racked up 22 points in the paint despite Rutgers playing its same four-forward lineup as Thursday’s win over Quinnipiac.
On the game, Stony Brook ended up with 36 points in the paint – compared to 20 for the Scarlet Knights – along with 22 offensive rebounds, leading to 22 second-chance points.
Rutgers was consistently a step slow covering the baseline and mid-post area on drives, even after a strong performance against the Bobcats defending the basket. Too many times, the Sea Wolves were able to barely get past a Scarlet Knight while driving to the basket, and were able to put up a moderately contested finish. They shot 17-for-38 on layups, which does not leap off the page, but coupled with the second-chance opportunities, Rutgers did not add nearly enough resistance at the rim.
The Scarlet Knights were also hampered by foul trouble, with Lester and wing Zachara Perkins picking up their fourth fouls within seconds of each other in the final minute of the third quarter. It affected the offense, as well, as Rutgers managed to shoot 9-for-21 on layups and scored only 20 points in the paint.
“We were crowded,” Washington said. “And we struggled [with] that. I thought Stony Brook did a good job of trying to limit us getting good looks, so we didn’t get a lot of good looks, they were tough looks. And so we just weren’t really able to capitalize, even when we got paint touches. We weren’t really able to capitalize.”
Trouble with turnovers
The biggest theme of Rutgers’ offensive struggles over the last three years has been turnovers, and that issue reared its ugly head again on Sunday.
Last season, the Scarlet Knights committed 20 or more turnovers eight times, and got close to that number on Sunday with a season-high 19 turnovers.
Seven of them came in the third quarter, which allowed Stony Brook to keep up its lead despite a rough offensive quarter, shooting just 4-for-18 from the floor.
Even after staying around its season average shooting from the floor, the turnovers completely took the Scarlet Knights’ offense out of rhythm, especially playing their second straight game without guards Lauryn Swann and Faith Blackstone, who were both expected to be big contributors in the backcourt. It has also compounded the issue of a lack of a true number one option on offense, something Washington and the staff are still trying to figure out.
“We are still trying to find our rhythm,” Washington added. “Find a go-to player. I definitely think we miss having Lauryn out there. She gives us a lot of speed, shot-making ability, and another ballhandler, another passer, another creator out there. So we certainly miss her, but we definitely had enough and we just have got to still establish those roles, and establish the continuity, and the confidence, and the consistency.”
Up next
The Scarlet Knights get a break after playing three games in the first seven days of the season, and will host Rhode Island on Thursday in the next game.
That matchup will tip off at 11 am at Jersey Mike’s Arena, as part of the program’s Recess Game, and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
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