The last time Rutgers and Minnesota faced off in Minneapolis, Amaya Battle and Destiny Adams went back and forth in an epic first-round matchup in March's Big Ten Tournament. Adams' efforts were not enough as a Scarlet Knights squad riddled with injuries came up short 77-69.
Tonight at Williams Arena, three miles east of the Target Center, the storylines were similar but the result was much more lopsided in the Golden Gophers' favor.
Rutgers fell 76-50 to Minnesota on Wednesday, in a game where the Scarlet Knights (8-8, 0-5) could not establish any offensive rhythm without three key contributors in the lineup.
Adams carried the offense at times, notching her seventh double-double of the season with 28 points and 12 rebounds on 10-for-24 shooting from the floor, reaching 1,000 points in her college career midway through the third quarter.
Battle tied her season high with 21 points, becoming one of four Golden Gophers (16-1, 4-1) in double-figures. McKenna Johnson, Sophie Hart, and Grace Grocholski scored 15, 14, and 12 points, respectively.
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One glaring absence for Rutgers was star freshman Kiyomi McMiller, missing her second consecutive game due to a coach's decision. McMiller traveled with the team and was not listed on the Big Ten's pregame availability report, but came out to team warmups in street clothes and ultimately did not play in the game.
“The decision for her not to play was a game-time decision, made after the availability report was submitted,” A program spokesperson said on McMiller's absence prior to the game.
Head coach Coquese Washington told WRSU Sports' Matthew Mangam and Will Carmenaty after the game that there were no updates on the situation.
McMiller was not the only Scarlet Knight that was missed, however. Junior wing Antonia Bates announced Wednesday morning she would miss the remainder of the season to have surgery on her knee, after missing nearly two months prior to the announcement.
The third absence came from Rutgers' other freshman Zachara Perkins. Her play on the defensive end and slashing ability was missed in a game where the Scarlet Knights struggled to generate any offense outside of Adams at the rim.
Awa Sidibe opened the game for Rutgers with a midrange jumper to take a quick lead on the first possession, the only lead the Scarlet Knights would take for the game. The Golden Gophers responded immediately with an 8-0 run and did not look back from there. Adams scored the rest of the team's 11 points in the opening quarter.
Rutgers managed to shoot just 32% on the game and 2-for-16 from the three-point line, continuing a season-long trend of inefficiency from the perimeter.
The shooting struggles were part of the reason Minnesota was able to win the rebounding battle, outrebounding the Scarlet Knights 51-33. The other part of the Gophers' dominance on the glass came on the offensive end. They doubled up Rutgers on the offensive glass, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds leading to 18 second-chance points, compared to nine offensive rebounds and 5 second-chance points for the Scarlet Knights.
One positive from the game for Rutgers came in limiting turnovers, one game after committing 27 in Sunday's loss to No. 4 USC. The Scarlet Knights halved that mark on Wednesday, only committing 13 turnovers, though Minnesota did score 20 points off those turnovers.
Sophomore guard Lisa Thompson only played four minutes in the game, leaving in the opening minutes without an aparent injury. Any extended absence for Thompson could spell even more trouble for the Scarlet Knights' depth, especially if McMiller's absence continues alongside.
Rutgers only had nine available players for the game, with all nine of them seeing action in the first quarter, including guards Kennedy Brandt and walk-on Deja Young. Young made some impressive plays in her third game, playing a career-high 16 minutes and making hustle plays on loose balls and rebounding.
Rutgers lost its ninth straight game in Big Ten play - including the tournament loss to Minnesota - with its last win coming in February to the same Golden Gophers squad. The schedule continues to not get any easier, as the Scarlet Knights will next play on Sunday against a 12-4 Nebraska team, with three of its losses coming to ranked teams. Following the matchup against the Cornhuskers, Rutgers plays three straight ranked teams including No. 1 UCLA.
With the Scarlet Knights' depth being tested against a brutal conference slate, the season is very close entering a similar territory as last season, and with the expanded Big Ten, they'll have to fight for their postseason lives over the next two months.
RHOOPS PLAY OF THE DAY
Destiny Adams reaches her 1,000th career point on a jumper in the third quarter.
UP NEXT?
Rutgers will return home on Sunday to host Nebraska at Jersey Mike's Arena. The game will tip off
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