In the battle of Knights, Rutgers cast the final strike and clinched victory.
The Scarlet Knights (12-19, 3-15 Big Ten) used a fast start and tough defense to take down Army 71-60 in the WNIT's second round. The Black Knights (25-7, 14-4 Patriot League) saw their season come to an end after a valiant comeback attempt that fell just short.
Rutgers led by as many as 18 points late in the second quarter and by double-digits for much of the third quarter, but Army methodically strung together scores and stops, eventually reaching within two points of the Scarlet Knights with five and a half minutes left.
A four-minute 9-0 run later, Rutgers came out on top, holding the Black Knights to a 1-for-13 finish from the floor, standing comfortably ahead when the final buzzer sounded to move on to the Super 16.
Four of the team's five starters finished in double-figures, led by JoJo Lacey's game-high 17 points, along with Destiny Adams' 16th double-double of the season. Awa Sidibe scored 9 points in the first quarter but was limited in the second and third with foul trouble, though she still finished with 13 points on a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the floor.
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Zachara Perkins had one of her better performances of the season, setting career-highs with 13 points and nine rebounds. She continued to expand her role as another option bringing the ball up the floor and initiating the offense.
With the team's guard depth tested without Antonia Bates, Kiyomi McMiller, or Lisa Thompson, Perkins stepped up in a big moment as her role has increased throughout the season.
"Just having people around me that fully support me," Perkins said on the key to her growth down the stretch. "I think my teammates and my coaches have always instilled that confidence in me, and like JoJo said, it was all about me finding that confidence in myself. I stay in the game, I've been in the gym consistently working out, shooting, whatever it takes, I'm working on my point guard skills and everything else. I think just having an environment around me that supports me just really helped me instill that confidence."
The Scarlet Knights had one of their best starts of late, racing ahead to an 18-4 lead in the opening three minutes. The Black Knights could not get any offensive or defensive momentum to start as Rutgers imposed its will at the basket.
Despite an 18-day break from their last game, the Scarlet Knights looked like they did not miss a single beat.
"From the moment after the Big Ten Tournament we talked about playing in [the] postseason," head coach Coquese Washington said after the game. "So we prepared. We had some time and days to kind of work on ourselves because we didn't have an opponent, so things we wanted to get better at, then once we got the WNIT bracket and knew we would play either Army or Bryant, we started to focus a little bit more, then when Army got the win [over Bryant] we prepared even more."
After the Scarlet Knights' initial punch, the Black Knights never wavered and fought back with a 13-6 run to close the first quarter, trailing by seven points.
The second quarter played out as an inverse of the first, as Army continued to fight back and got as close as five points, but the Rutgers clamped down on defense and got easy baskets at the rim to open up an 18-point lead with a minute and a half left. The Black Knights went over six minutes without a point but scored five quick points in the final 40 seconds to go into halftime with a bit of momentum down 13 points.
That momentum continued to start the third quarter, as Army scored six straight points to bring Rutgers' lead back into single-digits. The Black Knights continued to battle back, coming as close as four points before two layups from Sidibe late in the quarter brought the lead back up to 10 points. For the second straight quarter, Army got off a quick 5-0 spurt in the final minute to put a dent into its deficit, trailing by just five points going into the fourth quarter.
The comeback effort continued into the fourth quarter, as the Black Knights strung together buckets and got as close as two points, trailing 58-56 with 5:42 left after a three-point play from Kya Smith.
Army never got any closer.
Rutgers put a lid on the rim, forcing 10 straight missed shots and holding the Black Knights scoreless for the next five minutes. It was the fourth stretch of the game with at least five straight misses from Army. The Scarlet Knights then closed the game out at the free throw line to walk away victorious.
"We had a few turnovers that helped them cut into our lead," Washington said. "We did a better job of taking care of the ball, then we just talked about being focused on defense, and not falling asleep or letting their action - they do a good job of playing five-out and setting flare screens and back-screens and backdoor cuts - and we just talked about being alert with that stuff, and most importantly finishing it with rebounds."
Rutgers' play at the rim was a major catalyst for the victory, one of the team's consistent strengths throughout the season. The Scarlet Knights outscored the Black Knights 36-20 in the paint and outrebounded them 41-34 - including 35-19 on the defensive glass. While Army did bring in 15 offensive rebounds, Rutgers shut down several putback opportunities, only allowing three second-chance points.
After being given new life in the postseason, the Scarlet Knights are looking to advance and play 40 more minutes with this group.
"They are very business-like," Washington said. "They're like, 'alright we got this one down, let's go get the next one. It wasn't overwhelming emotions, because they're very locked in, and very driven right now to play as long as we can."
Rutgers will face the winner of Monday's game between Charleston and Howard in the Super 16, which is played from March 26th to the 28th.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY
Zachara Perkins beats the shot-clock buzzer with the spinning layup.
UP NEXT?
Rutgers will move on to the WNIT's Super 16, where they will face the winner of Monday's game between the College of Charleston and Howard. The date, time, and venue are still TBA.
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