After a tough loss at Auburn, Rutgers women’s basketball returned home and beat Siena 67-61 to earn its fifth win of the season. The Scarlet Knights were able to overcome several stretches where their
shooting went cold to secure the victory.
Janae Walker broke open the scoring for Rutgers, as the Knights would race out to a nine-point lead before Siena got on the board. Rutgers would slightly extend this lead by the end of the first, as they headed into the second quarter with an 11-point lead.
The Saints would hold the Knights scoreless for the first five and a half minutes of the second quarter as they began to chip away at their deficit. Seina would tie the game up late in the second at 31 points apiece, before Rutgers would hit one more shot to go into the half with a two-point lead.
Siena would keep the pressure on at the beginning of the third quarter, as they would take their first lead of the game early in the second half. Rutgers would tie it four times in the third quarter but could not score enough to retake the lead, as the game headed into the fourth knotted up at 45-all.
The Knights would immediately retake the lead in the fourth quarter off a two-pointer from Faith Blackstone, who played in her first game back from injury. After a brief back-and-forth between both squads, Rutgers was able to pull away to secure the victory.
Nene Ndiaye once again set herself apart as a premier scorer, as she once again broke her personal best points per game and led the team with 26. She set her previous best of 24 three games ago when the Knights beat Rhode Island 68-63.
One of the major reasons why this game was so competitive, despite the Saints’ record, was the fact that Siena’s bench accounted for 35 points while Rutgers’bench only scored nine. The Knights will need more contributions from their bench to better compete when Big Ten play rolls around. Rutgers also got beaten in the paint, which is another example of a trend that cannot continue when conference play starts.
The Knights will be back in action at home on Friday, as they are set to tip off against Northeastern at 7 pm. Live coverage for the game will be available on Big Ten+.
