Rutgers Women's Basketball fell at Virginia Tech 91-80 in the team's first road and high-major matchup of the season. The Scarlet Knights (4-1) were simply outlasted in the fourth quarter by the Hokies (4-1), being outscored 32-23.
In a game that featured 22 lead changes and 19 ties, neither team held a lead larger than five points until Virginia Tech's game-breaking 13-2 run late in the fourth quarter.
Freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller had another breakout game, leading all scorers with 24 points in 26 minutes. She sat for the entire second quarter due to foul trouble and kept Rutgers in the game with 15 points in the third quarter alone.
Destiny Adams was one of two other Scarlet Knights in double-figures, scoring 18 points on an efficient 8-for-10 shooting clip and grabbing six rebounds to tie for the team lead. Chyna Cornwell also had six rebounds along with 12 points.
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The game stayed within a couple of possessions for most of the first half, as the two teams exchanged leads. Offense in the opening 20 minutes was harder to come by, as Rutgers finished the half shooting 45% from the floor while the Hokies could only manage a 31% clip.
The Scarlet Knights did a great job containing Virginia Tech's leaders, as forward Rose Micheaux was limited to just 6 points on 3-for-13 shooting, while guard Carleigh Wenzel scored 3 points - all from the free throw line - after going 0-for-11 in the first half.
Rutgers had a more balanced scoring attack early on as six players scored at least 4 points in the first half, as the freshmen McMiller and Zachara Perkins led with 7 points apiece. The two teams went to the locker room knotted at 36 as neither team held a lead bigger than 4 points for the entirety of the half.
The second half featured some more back-and-forth action with more scoring, as Virginia Tech outscored Rutgers 55-44 in the final 20 minutes.
With Adams limited due to foul trouble and injury in the third quarter, it was McMiller's turn to put the team on her back. She scored 15 points in the quarter alone on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, which each make deeper than the last. It was a glimpse into what McMiller can bring to the team as she continues to work her way through her true freshman season.
The Hokies went into the fourth quarter with a two-point lead, and the game continued its back-and-forth nature to start. Adams returned to the game after going to the locker room with what appeared to be a leg injury and picked up right where she left off, scoring 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting clip.
Eventually, however, Virginia Tech's offensive firepower became too much to overcome. Adams hit a layup to give Rutgers a 70-69 lead with 5:24 remaining, but the Hokies responded by ripping off a 13-2 run over the three minutes to essentially put the game away. Matilda Ekh, who scored 25 points in an 84-59 win over the Scarlet Knights last year, scored 7 points in the fourth quarter to charge the run forward and propel Virginia Tech to a victory.
There were plenty of positives and negatives to take from the game. On the positive end, the Scarlet Knights shot 54% from the floor and had one of its better three-point shooting nights on the season, shooting 6-for-17 from beyond the arc.
It also appears that Rutgers' two freshmen - Perkins and McMiller - are ready to contribute in large doses in their first seasons with the program. McMiller carried the offense in the first quarter, while Perkins continues to be a do-it-all presence on the floor with her size and versatility.
Big picture, playing competitive in a road high-major game is a good step forward as well. While this is not the same Virginia Tech team that dominated Rutgers at Jersey Mike's Arena last year, the Scarlet Knights changed the tune completely and went toe-to-toe in the team's first road game and high-major test.
On the negative side, some of the team's issues from the past two seasons popped up again. Rutgers turned the ball over a season-high 20 times, as they struggled at times to contain the ball in an extremely uptempo game early on. Those turnovers led to 19 points for the Hokies, compared to 8 points off 10 turnovers for the Scarlet Knights' defense.
Another fix from this game is the offensive rebounds, as Virginia Tech racked up 21 offensive rebounds leading to 21 second-chance points. Rutgers got outrebounded 40-31 for the game as well.
For a matchup featuring the 6th-ranked and 249th-ranked teams in terms of rebounds per game, the Scarlet Knights were unable to flex their rebounding muscle.
As the team continues to find its footing defensively, they'll look to improve their defense from the perimeter, but tonight was an encouraging step forward for the program, going toe-to-toe with a newer force in college basketball, even without many of the catalysts that pushed them to this form.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY
Kiyomi McMiller drains the deep three-pointer as part of her 15-point third quarter.
UP NEXT?
The Scarlet Knights will have another break until their next game, as they will host Princeton at Jersey Mike's Arena on Sunday. The game will tip off at 2 pm EST and can be streamed on Big Ten Plus, along with radio broadcasts on Fox Sports New Jersey and WRSU-FM.
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