Rutgers women's basketball set to face off against Nebraska
After dropping its seventh consecutive Big Ten game to Wisconsin, the Rutgers women’s basketball team will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face off against Nebraska. The Scarlet Knights (7-12, 0-7) remain winless in 2022 and in conference play for the season.
“That toughness that we need to have going down the stretch is what’s needed,” said acting head coach Timothy Eatman. “You’re looking at close ball games, and when you play close games, the team that plays the hardest is going to be the team that wins.”
In the loss to the Badgers (4-12, 1-5), graduate student forward Osh Brown continued to be the leading force for Rutgers on both sides of the ball, scoring a team-high 11 points while recording her 55th career double-double, the highest total among active Division I players.
Brown now leads the Knights in both points per game (PPG) and rebounds per game this season.
“She comes to play every game,” Eatman said when asked about Brown’s performance. “The thing with (Brown) is that she’s playing really good, but because of this team, we need her to us give more.”
Rutgers' offensive woes contrast the play of its defense, who lead the Big Ten in scoring defense this season, allowing approximately 57 PPG. The team has the lowest offensive scoring average in the conference, averaging just 55 PPG. The Knights have also caused the most turnovers in the conference but have also turned the ball over the most, with a -2.53 margin per game.
Rutgers will be looking for defensive contributions from junior forward Tyia Singleton and graduate student guard Sayawni Lassiter, who are among the Big Ten’s top ten in blocks and steals per game respectively. The Knights now officially rank last in the conference standings after Wisconsin registered its first conference win at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus.
The Cornhuskers (13-4, 2-4) are trying to end a three-game losing streak after an upset victory over Michigan in early January. In their last game against Iowa, Alexis Markowski starred with 27 points, only missing two shots during the contest.
Nebraska has four scorers in double digits for the season, led by Jaz Shelly and her 13.75 PPG. As a team, the Cornhuskers lead the Big Ten in rebounds per game and rank third in points per game.
Rutgers will face Nebraska at 8 p.m. tomorrow night. The game, which is taking place at Pinnacle Bank Arena, will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network+ and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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