Rutgers women's basketball loses to Nebraska 50-38, drops 9th straight game
The Rutgers women’s basketball team saw its losing streak increase to nine games tonight after being defeated by Nebraska 50-38. The Scarlet Knights (7-16, 0-11) were led by graduate student forward Osh Brown’s double-double, but could not overcome the Cornhuskers (16-4, 5-4) who extended their winning streak to three games.
Rutgers and Nebraska traded baskets for the first 6 minutes of the first quarter before a layup from Alexis Markowski gave the Cornhuskers a lead they would not relinquish. Brown and graduate student gaurd Sayawni Lassiter led the Knights with 3 points in the first quarter with both teams shooting less than 32 percent. Nebraska capitalized early on offensive rebounds, scoring 5 second-chance points.
Brown had a team-high 5 points at the half, as the Cornhuskers took a 9-point lead after the first 20 minutes. Markowski got out to a hot start with 8 first-half points, hitting 3 of her 4 shot attempts and making both chances from the free throw line. Junior forward Tyia Singleton also had 5 points at halftime, along with 7 rebounds.
Rutgers was able to produce its highest-scoring quarter in the third, finishing with 12 points and outscoring Nebraska to cut its lead to 6. Brown and junior guard Awa Sidibe led an efficient offense that shot 62.5 percent. The Knights went on a 6-0 run in the middle of the quarter, with Brown and Sidibe each scoring 6 points.
The fourth quarter saw Rutgers cut the lead to one possession, scoring the first 4 points before a three from Sam Haiby began a stretch where the Cornhuskers scored 13 unanswered points, securing the victory to get above .500 in Big Ten play.
Markowski and Haiby accounted for more than half of Nebraska's shots, hitting 9 of the team’s 17 total field goals. The Knights outshot the Cornhuskers from the field but hit less than half of their free throws and made only one three in the game.
Singleton finished with a team-high 13 rebounds, but Markowski led the game with her 15 in addition to a game-high 16 points. Brown was the only double-digit scorer for Rutgers.
The Knights next face Ohio State on Monday at the Schottenstein Center. The Buckeyes (16-4, 8-3) faced Rutgers on Jan. 23, winning by 9 points in Piscataway.
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