Rutgers Women's Basketball held an 11-point lead in a Black Friday matchup against Marquette in the first game of the "Battle on the Banks" at Jersey Mike's Arena, looking to snap its two-game skid and get back in the win column on Black Friday.
Instead, the Scarlet Knights (4-3) left the bench with a third straight loss, falling to the Golden Eagles (3-2) in the final minute 59-57, Marquette's first win over Rutgers in program history (1-10).
Rutgers had multiple chances at the end to tie or take the lead, but they just could not get the shots to fall. Kiyomi McMiller's deep three-pointer bounced off the back iron, but a long rebound by Lisa Thompson gave the Scarlet Knights another opportunity. Thompson dished it to Destiny Adams on the free throw line, who lost control of the ball after being triple-teamed by Marquette's defense.
Despite two missed free throws by Golden Eagles guard Lee Volker, the Scarlet Knights could not get a shot off and fell after going scoreless for the final two minutes.
McMiller continued her breakout freshman campaign, scoring a team-high 19 points on 8-for-20 shooting from the floor and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. She scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting in the fourth quarter alone, finding her stride after shooting 4-for-13 in the opening three quarters. She also finished third on the team with seven rebounds. Lisa Thompson was the only other Scarlet Knight in double-figures with 10 points.
Destiny Adams struggled down the stretch, as she finished with 8 points on 3-for-9 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and a team-high eight turnovers. She wasn't able to consistently get positioning at the basket and the Golden Eagles consistently swarmed her on the block. Chyna Cornwell led the team with 10 rebounds along with 7 points.
Skylar Forbes and Volker were the only two Golden Eagles in double-figures, as they scored 23 and 18 points respectively. They both did their damage in the second half, each scoring 14 points to spark the comeback.
Both teams had trouble keeping care of the ball, as they combined for 46 turnovers - 24 by Marquette and 22 by Rutgers.
The first quarter was a sloppy one on both ends, with the score tied at nine apiece with a combined 7-for-32 shooting clip from the floor. Rutgers forced nine turnovers in the first quarter, setting a trend that would continue throughout the game.
The Golden Eagles amped up the pace and pressure on the rim in the second half on both ends, forcing 15 turnovers on defense and scoring 14 points in the paint on offense. They also dd a better job maintaining possessions, committing only eight turnovers after giving the ball away 16 times in the first half.
Despite the strong first half, the Scarlet Knights could not maintain the momentum in the second half, being outscored 20-13 and 22-16 in the third and fourth quarters. They improved in field goal percentage, shooting 41% compared to 38% in the first half, but Marquette nearly doubled its efficiency from the floor in the second half to storm ahead.
The Scarlet Knights will now have another chance at a win against Georgia Southern on Saturday in the second and final round of the "Battle on the Banks" before going on the road next week to Wisconsin to start Big Ten play.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY
Kiyomi McMiller finds a cutting Lisa Thompson from across the floor, who converts through the contact for a three-point play.
UP NEXT?
The Scarlet Knights will be back in action on Saturday at 2 p.m. for their second game of the "Battle on the Banks," hosting Georgia Southern. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus, with radio broadcasts on Fox Sports New Jersey and WRSU-FM.
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