Rutgers guard Tyler Scaife Drafted by Phoenix Mercury

With the eighth pick in the second round of Thursday’s WNBA Draft (20th overall), the Phoenix Mercury, selected Rutgers guard Tyler Scaife. She becomes the 20th player in Rutgers women’s basketball history to be selected in the WNBA Draft.

As a redshirt senior, Scaife led the Scarlet Knights in scoring at 19.4 per game. The point guard also averaged 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists this past season. Scaife returned to Rutgers after receiving a medical redshirt and missing her senior season due to heart surgery.

Scaife led Rutgers in scoring in 25 of the teams 31 games, reaching double figure scoring 29 times. She was a 2017-18 First Team All-Big Ten honoree.

The Scarlet Knights season ended in the second-round of the Big Ten Tournament with a loss to Ohio State. Rutgers declined an invitation to participate in the WNIT after feeling snubbed by the NCAA Tournament.

Scaife’s scoring average increased each season she was on the court. She averaged 14.5 as a freshman, 14.8 as a sophomore, and 17.2 as a junior. The Arkansas native finished her time at Rutgers with 2,233 career points, second all-time in scoring behind Rutgers’ first-ever WNBA pick, Sue Wicks.

Scaife was the number one rated point guard in the country coming out of high school.

She now joins a Mercury team that finished third in the Western Conference last season with a 18-16 record. She will slid into a roster that includes stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.