Rutgers women's basketball extends win streak over Michigan State
The Rutgers women’s basketball team’s winning streak now stands at six. The team took down Michigan State 63-53 in an action-filled afternoon game in East Lansing, Michigan.
The back and forth game saw the Scarlet Knights (11-3, 7-3) shoot 40 percent from deep. The Spartans (12-7, 7-7) responded quickly and kept things close.
Fifth-year senior guard Arella Guirantes got the scoring started with a shot off the glass, her last points until a minute into the fourth quarter when she scored four straight.
Freshman guard Diamond Johnson found her rhythm from three-point land less than 3 minutes into the first quarter. Johnson scored 7 straight points for Rutgers in the quarter, en route to 22 points, all but 3 of which came from inside the arc.
Johnson added two steals in the quarter as well. The first frame featured seven lead changes, and neither team was able to build a significant lead. At its most, Michigan State led by 4, and the quarter finished 15-13 in favor of the home team.
The next quarter didn’t start as close. The Spartans led by 8 early in the quarter. Freshman guard Liz Martino had two makes from deep, helping the Knights to pull ahead. Martino hit another three-ball to bring Rutgers within 4. Martino finished 3-3 from downtown. The Knights were down 35-28 going into the locker room.
Starting the second half, Rutgers went on an 8-point scoring run, all of which came in the paint, giving them a lead for the first time since the first quarter. After that run was ended, Michigan State went on an 8-0 run. Going into the last 10 minutes, the Knights were down 46-39.
Guirantes made sure the struggles didn’t continue into the fourth quarter. She scored her first points since the opening seconds of the game and with a layup from senior forward Tekia Mack, Rutgers tied things up. Senior forward Mael Gilles regained the lead with a three-pointer.
The Knights engaged their infamous press defense once they took the lead. The back and forth action did not stop, but Rutgers’ lead held, finishing off the game to bring their winning streak to six.
Sophomore forward Tyia Singleton set her career-high of five blocks to go along with 8 points and six rebounds.
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