Rutgers women's basketball looks to remain undefeated against Stony Brook
After three hard-fought games in Piscataway to begin the season, the Rutgers women’s basketball team continues its stretch of home games as they face Stony Brook today at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus.
The Scarlet Knights (3-0, 0-0) are coming off of a hard-fought battle against Fairfield, where the lead was traded back and forth multiple times before a 6-point victory preserved the undefeated start to the season.
"The game was like we thought it would be: a grind against a veteran team,” said acting head coach Timothy Eatman. “They put a lot of pressure on us, packed the zone in and made us move the basketball. Even though the game was a grind, it helped us as a program because it forced us to do the things we need to do in order to be successful, and that's sharing the basketball and moving from side to side.”
The beginning of the season has seen Rutgers make many plays on the defensive end, with opponents averaging approximately 21 turnovers per game. The Knights have taken advantage of these miscues, with 19 points per game coming off of turnovers.
On offense, Rutgers has shown the ability to share the ball, as 13 of the 15 players who have seen the court this season have scored points. Sophomores center Sakima Walker and guard Liz Martino pace the team with 7.7 points per game.
Graduate student forward Osh Brown is averaging 6 points per game, but her largest impact comes in the rebounding department. Her 26 boards are twice as many as any other player’s total in the program. In her last game, Brown surpassed 1,500 points for her college career.
"I didn't know I was that close. When coach told me in the locker room, I was kind of surprised,” Brown said when asked about the milestone. “It was just another goal to conquer, but we still have the main goal, which is to win the Big Ten and go to the NCAA Tournament. We still have things to do. I got that tonight, but our next opponent is Stony Brook.”
The Seawolves (3-0, 0-0) are coming off of a victory over St. John’s on Sunday. Head coach Ashley Langford became the first coach in Stony Brook history to win their first three games as head of the program. Anastasia Warren currently leads the program averaging 18 points per game, with the Seawolves putting up approximately 80 points per game as a team.
The game will take place at 11 a.m. at Jersey Mike’s Arena, with broadcasts taking place on Big Ten Network+ and 88.7 WRSU.
For updates on the Rutgers women's basketball team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
