Scarlet Knights Dominate, End Two Game Skid

The Rutgers women’s basketball team bounced back in a big way on Thursday night, defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini, 72-41, at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway.

The Scarlet Knights (16-4) got back to their winning ways, dominating in the paint and stifling their opponents on the defensive end.

Rutgers outscored Illinois (10-10), 44-12, in the paint. The Scarlet Knights improved to 16-3 on the season when outscoring their opponents in the paint. In addition to controlling down low, Rutgers’ shutdown defense returned in a big way. The Scarlet Knights held Illinois to just 41 points on only 26.4% shooting.

The Scarlet Knights have now swept the season series and improve to 7-1 all-time against the Fighting Illini. Additionally, Rutgers improves to 9-2 at home this season.

Arella Guirantes took charge once again for the Scarlet Knights. She tallied 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. In the two games against Illinois this season, Guirantes totaled 41 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Guirantes was not the only Scarlet Knight to shine on Thursday night. Jordan Wallace added a double-double, tallying 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two assists.

Khadaizha Sanders was the third Scarlet Knight to score in double figures on Thursday night. She picked up 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to help lead Rutgers to the victory.

One area the Scarlet Knights will look to improve is their three-point shooting. Over their last three games, the Scarlet Knights are shooting only 24.4% from downtown. Although three-point shooting is not one of Rutgers’ strongest assets, the team would still prefer to return to its season average of around 32%.

The Scarlet Knights now look forward to their next game on Sunday in which they’ll travel to Minnesota for a matchup with the Golden Gophers. The game will begin at 3 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPN2.