The Rutgers women’s basketball team faced off against Penn State in its penultimate home game of the season, and all graduating Scarlet Knights were honored for their time in the bank. Unfortunately, Rutgers was unable to pull off the win, losing to the Nittany Lions 87-78.
Nene Ndiaye opened the scoring for the Cavaliers with a free throw in the first quarter. Rutgers got their first three points via free throws, Faith Blackstone hit a two-pointer, and then Kaylah Ivey hit her first 3-pointer of the game to give the Cavaliers a six-point lead. Penn State didn’t get on the board until less than six minutes into the first quarter, when Tea Cleante hit a 3-pointer to cut Rutgers’ lead to five points. The Nittany Lions were 0-5 on all previous field goal attempts. Clint made a three-pointer. Imani Lester scored 10 points in the first quarter, but offensive efforts from Clint and Mac Miller gave the Nittany Lions a three-point lead in the second quarter.
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Lester continued to provide momentum for the Cavaliers’ offense in the second quarter. He hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 21, and then hit a two-point jumper to give Rutgers the lead; however, Penn State went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead. Mac Miller’s shooting was hot in the second quarter as she scored 11 points to help the Nittany Lions extend their lead to 38-32 as both teams returned to the locker room.
A back-and-forth start to the third quarter enlivened Penn State’s three-point game as they slowly pulled away over the first two and a half minutes of the quarter. Mac Miller continued to hit shots from beyond the arc to extend the Nittany Lions’ lead to double digits. The Cavaliers stemmed the bleeding and kept the score from getting worse for the remainder of the third quarter, but were unable to get closer and Penn State led 63-53 entering the fourth quarter.
Nene Ndiaye’s quick shot and two free throws from Zachara Perkins cut Penn State’s lead to six points with just over nine minutes left. After a Penn State free throw, Faith Balckstone hit a 3-pointer to cut the Nittany Lions’ lead to six points again. Rutgers didn’t get closer until Ivey hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to four points. The Cavaliers were unable to capitalize on the opportunity, however, and Penn State pulled away in the final seconds to secure the victory.
The Cavaliers underperformed in many areas. Penn State shot 62% from the field and 70% from three-point range. Rutgers grabbed 20 total offensive rebounds but only scored seven points. They also tied Penn State with 13 turnovers but only scored seven points compared to the Nittany Lions’ 24 points.
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Two Penn State players faced little opposition as the Cavaliers had nothing to do with Mac Miller, who finished the game with 37 points, while Gracie Merkel dominated in the paint, scoring 26 points.
Despite losing the game, Perkins still performed well, scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Rutgers’ final home game will be Wednesday night against Indiana University at 7 p.m.