No. 24 Rutgers WBB tops No. 22 Ohio State on Senior Night
No. 24 Rutgers women's basketball defeated No. 22 Ohio State, 71-63, on Friday night at the RAC in Piscataway.
The win is Rutgers' ninth in a row since coming back from its five-week pause and it is now 14-3 overall and 10-3 within the Big Ten heading into the Big Ten Tournament next week with a double bye.
Rutgers honored seniors Mael Gilles, Arella Guirantes, and Tekia Mack prior to the game.
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Rutgers took control early as it led 21-9 in the first quarter. Ohio State shot just 22% in the frame, while the Scarlet Knights shot 61.5% on 8-of-13 shooting.
The Scarlet Knights kept the Buckeyes from creeping back as it took a 37-26 lead into the break and held an advantage of 15 at the 1:18 mark. Rutgers tallied six blocks in the opening two quarters and Ohio State, which made just 27% of its shots, had only 14 points into the paint to Rutgers 22 at the time.
Rutgers assisted on nine of its 15 buckets.
In the third, it was much of the same story with the Buckeyes shooting 27%, though each team scored 16 points, led by Guirantes' 11 on 4-of-6 attempts.
Ohio State cut its deficit down to eight at 57-49 with 7:07 to go in the fourth on a 3-pointer, but Tyia Singleton hit a jump shot from the logo in the paint that calmly fell through after hitting back iron.
Moments later, Diamond Johnson made a fastbreak layup and Guirantes hit a 3-pointer from the left wing, and just like that, Rutgers' lead was back up to 15 after a 7-0 run.
Oho State got it down to an eight point margin a few times in the closing minute, but Rutgers closed it out with foul shots.
Guirantes netted a game-high 20 points and Singleton had 18 points (more on her below. Mack chipped in with 11 points, Johnson scored eight, and Liz Martino (two 3-pointers) and Gilles each had six points apiece.
For the full stats, click here.
RUTGERS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tyia Singleton
The redshirt sophomore posted her first double-double of her career with career-highs 18 points and 13 rebounds. She also produced six blocks and a steal.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE GAME: Singelton gets one of her many blocks early in the game.
KEY STAT(S): Rutgers notched 11 blocks on the night, and while not a stat, Zippy Broughton saw six minutes of court time. It was her first game becoming injured against Iowa on Dec. 31. The Scarlet Knights led for 38:29 out of the 40 minutes.
UP NEXT: Rutgers will start its league tournament run in the quarterfinals on March 11 at approximately 9:00 p.m. on FS2/Fox Sports App.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky
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