Sixth-seeded Rutgers, No. 21 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, collapsed against 11th-seeded BYU and fell to the Cougars, 69-66, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Strahan Arena in San Marcos, TX.
It is the second-straight tournament appearance that the Scarlet Knights failed to win a game (2019).
Rutgers led by as many as 12 points near the end of the third quarter. BYU outscored Rutgers 26-16 in the fourth.
"We just missed shots," C. Vivian Stringer told TKR. "They got some lucky breaks and coach does a great job with that team. I'm disappointed we didn't hit shots. The game was physical, and you'd think we'd be fine coming from the Big Ten."
"It hurts," senior Arella Guirantes said as he fought tears. "Everything happens for a reason. You feel the pain and you use it as motivation to get through your next obstacle."
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Rutgers ended the first quarter on a 7-2 run to lead 12-10 as it forced seven BYU turnovers and scored four points off of them.
In the second, Rutgers scored the first two points in the frame and led 18-13 before the Cougars went on a 5-0 run then also turned into a 9-1 run to take the lead back at 22-19.
Down 24-20, Rutgers, again, ended the quarter in a big way, scoring eight-straight points to take a 30-24 lead in to halftime. Diamond Johnson made a 3-pointer from the left side, Arella Guirantes then scored five points in a row on a layup, free throw, and a jump shot, and Johnson recorded another layup with 17 seconds left.
Fouls and turnovers added up for both teams as Rutgers committed nine fouls and BYU had eight while the Scarlet Knights racked up 11 turnover and the Cougars notched 12. Rutgers turned those 12 turnovers into nine times while BYU scored 12 points off of the Rutgers miscues.
Rutgers shot 48% (11-for-23) in the first half and out-rebounded the Cougars in the first 20 minutes, 19-10. It also held BYU without a field goal or a point the final 5:23 of the half.
The Scarlet Knights continued to pull away in the third quarter, leading by as many as 12 points at 49-37. They different spurts of at least four points each. Despite missing shots at the rim and shooing 35.7% in the frame, Rutgers was 2-for-4 on 3-pointers and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. After having no points through the first two quarters due to her three fouls, Mack scored 10 points in the third.
Eight-consecutive points by Paisley Harding and a layup by Lauren Gustin gave BYU the lead back at 55-54 with 4:37 to go. Gustin also added two free throws 29 seconds later to make it a 12-0 run.
Guirantes stopped the run with a running jumper off the right side, but Gustin came back with a tough layup inside. Guirantes added another jump shot to cut BYU's lead to just one again at 59-58.
A tough rebound by Mackled to a Gilles missed 3-pointer on the other end.
Following a timeout, Tyia Singleton stole the ball for Rutgers, but Johnson missed a floater in the lane. Tegan Graham hit a rhythm 3-pointer for the Cougars and Guirantes responded with a deep three of her own with 1:04 left to make it 62-61.
A solid defensive possession for Rutgers ended with a tough foul call on a 3-pointer. Shaylee Gonzalez calmly made all three free throws to give BYU its second biggest lead of the day at 65-61 with 30.9 remaining.
Guirantes drove to the hoop for a bucket, and Gonzalez made three more free throws on two separate trips to push the Cougars' lead to five, their largest.
Rutgers freshman Liz Martino came in and swished a three from the right corner, and Harding made another foul shot with three seconds left.
After a foul, Guirantes couldn't get a potential 3-pointer off before the buzzer.
For the full stats, click here.
RUTGERS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Arella Guirantes
Playing in her final game at Rutgers, the redshirt senior netted a game-high 30 points with six rebounds and three assists. She will be a first round WNBA Draft pick on April 15.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE GAME: To give Rutgers a 30-24 lead at halftime, Mael Gilles finds a cutting Diamond Johnson for a layup.
KEY STAT(S): BYU made 20-of-23 free throws....Rutgers outrebounded BYU, 33-30, but it was 19-10 at halftime....BYU made nine 3-pointers to five for RU....BYU scored 22 points off of 20 Rutgers turnovers....A 12-0 run in the fourth quarter made the difference
UP NEXT: The season is over for Rutgers.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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