Rutgers women's basketball drops Big Ten opener to No. 8 Maryland
After four competitive quarters with one of the top ten teams in the nation, the Rutgers women’s basketball team was not able to complete the upset, falling to Maryland 73-59 in its first Big Ten game of the season.
The Scarlet Knights (4-6, 0-1) trailed early as the No. 8 Terrapins (8-2, 1-0) were boosted by two early threes from Katie Benzan. Rutgers kept the quarter competitive with 7 points from graduate student guard Shug Dickson, and Maryland held an 18-16 lead after the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw the Terrapins break the game open, outscoring the Knights 20-7. Rutgers almost matched its point total with turnovers, as it gave away the ball six times in the second quarter. Maryland took a 15-point lead into the half as a result of effective shooting, hitting approximately 62 percent of its attempts from the field.
Sophomore forward Tyia Singleton attempted to lead the comeback in the third quarter, scoring 6 points. The Knights held the Terrapins to just one made three-pointer, and the lead was cut to 8 going into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter saw Rutgers come within 4 points after a basket from graduate student forward Osh Brown. This was the closest that the game would be, as Maryland made 9 of its 10 free throws and shot 75 percent in the fourth to avoid the upset and escape Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus with the victory.
For the first time this season, four Knights scored in double figures, with Dickson recording 18 points to lead the way, setting her highest mark as part of the program. Senior guard Lasha Petree scored 11, with Singleton and Brown both scoring 10. Singleton also added a game-high 12 rebounds, marking her first double-double of the season.
As a team, the Terrapins outshot Rutgers by 17 percent and contributed 10 more points in the paint. Maryland also saw four players score in double figures, as the defending Big Ten champions improved to 10-1 against the Knights in conference play.
Rutgers next travels to face Penn State on Thursday night. The rivals face off at 7 p.m. with the broadcast taking place on Big Ten Network+.
“So disappointed that we let it slip away,” said acting head women’s basketball coach Timothy Eatman. “We had moments where we (were) right there … Maryland being such a terrific team, they answered.”
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