Both Teams Are Still Searching For First Big Ten Victory
Rutgers women’s basketball heads back on the road Sunday afternoon with a prime opportunity in front of it, as the Scarlet Knights travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State in a matchup between two programs still searching for their first Big Ten win.
Both teams enter the contest winless in conference play, making this meeting one of the most important games on Rutgers’ league schedule to date. With the grind of Big Ten play already testing depth and consistency, Sunday’s matchup represents a chance for the Scarlet Knights to finally break through and reset their momentum heading into the heart of the season.
Rutgers comes in after a disheartening 73-54 loss at Northwestern, a game that slipped away after a competitive first half. The Scarlet Knights struggled to generate consistent offense and went on extended scoring droughts that the Wildcats took advantage of, something that has plagued them all season and especially in Big Ten play. Still, there were flashes of balance, with Faith Blackstone leading the way offensively with 11 points, while Imani Lester, Zachara Perkins, and Nene Ndaiye all scored 10 points.
Defense and rebounding remain the biggest priorities for Rutgers moving forward. When the Scarlet Knights can control the glass and limit second-chance points, they can keep games within reach. The challenge has been sustaining that effort for all four quarters against Big Ten competition.
Penn State enters the game in a similar position, sitting at the bottom of the conference standings and looking to snap its own Big Ten skid. The Lady Lions will lean heavily on home-court energy inside the Bryce Jordan Center, where Rutgers has had to grind out results in past seasons. Penn State’s ability to push tempo and knock down perimeter shots could test Rutgers’ defensive discipline early.
This matchup pits Rutgers’ struggling offense (yet to score more than 64 points against a high-major opponent against Penn State’s struggling defense (allowing 82.4 points per game). On the flip side, the Lady Lions’ fast-paced offense has resulted in plenty of offense, led by Kiyomi McMiller, Moriah Murray, and star big Gracie Merkle. But the Knights’ defense has the advantage in forcing turnovers and drawing fouls on offense.
Historically, this matchup has favored Rutgers, which has a 3-2 record against the Lady Lions under head coach Coquese Washington, who previously coached Penn State from 2007 to 2019. The Scarlet Knights won both matchups last season, taking down Penn State 77-73 in Happy Valley after rallying from down 17 points in the third quarter and defeating the Lions 75-70 in Piscataway.
Another interesting tidbit about this matchup is that former Rutgers guard Kiyomi McMiller will face her former team for the first time. McMiller left Rutgers after a season marked by both offensive highlights and controversy, during which she was benched by Washington due to locker room issues, before transferring to Penn State.
For Rutgers, the formula for success is straightforward but demanding: take care of the basketball, win the rebounding battle, and get enough scoring support around Ndiaye to keep Penn State from loading up defensively. If the Scarlet Knights can do that, they put themselves in position to finally notch their first Big Ten win of the season.
Sunday’s matchup may not carry national attention, but for Rutgers, it represents a turning point opportunity — one that could define how the rest of the conference schedule unfolds. If they can finally get a Big Ten win, it will position the Knights to make a run at the Big Ten Tournament, but if Rutgers fails to defeat Penn State after losing to fellow bottom-dweller Northwestern, they may struggle to get any Big Ten wins at all this season.
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Category: General Sports
