Rutgers women's basketball defeated/fell to Fairfield 78-54 at Jersey Mike's Arena on Monday night. The Scarlet Knights dropped to 3-3, while the Stags moved to 3-1 on the season.
This was the Scarlet Knights' final test at home before traveling to Las Vegas to participate in the South Point Shootout over Thanksgiving weekend.
Rutgers got out to a quick start, but Fairfield quickly countered before going on a tear of their own, closing the first quarter on an 18-0 run to go up 34-14. The Stags shot a blistering 8-of-11 from the three-point line in the opening period.
Much of the same remained in the second quarter, with the lead ballooning to 26 at its highest point midway through the quarter. From there, the Scarlet Knights began to make it close again, capitalizing on a 1-for-11 stretch for Fairfield. They trailed by 16 at halftime, outscoring the Stags 17-13 in the period.
Rutgers continued the momentum at the beginning of the period, cutting the Fairfield lead down to 11. The Stags immediately answered, ripping off an 8-0 run of their own to put the lead right back up to 19 midway through the quarter. From then on, the game remained heavily in favor of Fairfield. The Scarlet Knights were outscored 31-23 in the second half, never able to bring the game back within arm's reach.
Rutgers had zero double-digit scorers, as Destiny Adams and Jillian Huerter each led the way with 9 points apiece. Chyna Cornwell scored 7 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the way on the boards. The Scarlet Knights managed to outrebound the Stags, but were ailed by 24 turnovers that led to 29 Fairfield points.
For the Stags, Janelle Brown led the way with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, with Emina Selimovic also scoring 14. Kaety L'Amoreaux notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, leading the team on the boards despite playing at the point guard spot.
The Scarlet Knights will travel to Las Vegas to play Texas Tech on Friday, and Boise State on Saturday in the South Point Shootout, with each game being played at 9:30 EST.
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