Rutgers women’s basketball hits the road on Sunday, Dec. 28, for a Big Ten clash against #24 Michigan State. The Scarlet Knights, coming off an 8–4 non-conference slate, face one of the league’s hottest
teams at the Breslin Center. Michigan State is 11–1 and rolling, a balanced, experienced squad that can score in bunches and defend with physicality, making it a serious early test for Rutgers.
The Spartans’ lone loss came against Big Ten foe Wisconsin, which Rutgers will face at 2 PM on New Year’s Day back in Piscataway. MSU dominated through a relatively easy nonconference slate, although they earned victories against fellow high-majors in Clemson and #15 Ole Miss, both in invitational championship games.
Michigan State is led by forward Grace VanSlooten, who had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists against the Rebels. Fellow forward Isaline Alexander had 14 points and six boards, while Purdue transfer guard Rashunda Jones had 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists. MSU has been playing without senior guard Theryn Hallock, who has been out for the past five games with an injury.
Rutgers is coming off a 54-45 win over Lafayette, one in which the team struggled at times offensively, which has been a trend so far this season. Faith Blackstone had her best game as a Scarlet Knight with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Nene Ndiaye had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Outside of those two and Imani Lester, no other scorer had more than three points in the win, which is not a recipe for success.
Before that game, the Knights fell 79-36 against #14 Iowa and 81-63 against #25 Princeton, showing that they still have a long way to go before challenging for conference supremacy. Although Rutgers has a strong record, many of those wins came against inferior competition, and even then, they often struggled to pull out wins.
Michigan State will be a strong test for Rutgers to open conference play and will set the tone for the rest of the season. A win or even a close loss here will go a long way for confidence building, before RU turns the page to 2026 with a home date against Wisconsin on New Year’s Day.
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