Rutgers women's basketball drops 1st game of season in offensive battle against Virginia Tech
The Rutgers women's basketball team fell to Virginia Tech 91-80 on Tuesday in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Scarlet Knights (4-1, 0-0) dropped their first game of the season after they fell short in a close-fought offensive shootout. The Hokies (4-1, 0-0) have now won three straight games, heading into their final game of a four-game homestand against Elon.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle, with each Rutgers score answered by a Virginia Tech score. The Hokies' defense played strong, throwing the Knights off their typical game plan of getting the ball down low and reaching the free-throw line. Rutgers, on the other hand, held Virginia Tech to just 31.8 percent shooting from the field yet trailed 19-16 heading into the second period.
The defense was key for the Knights in the second quarter, holding the Hokies to 30 percent shooting from the field and yielding just 17 points. Rutgers was able to draw more fouls and get to the line six times, converting on five attempts. Freshman forward Zachara Perkins led her team with 7 points and did so efficiently, going 3 for 6 from the field.
At the halfway point, Virginia Tech and the Knights were deadlocked at 36-36 despite Rutgers' much better shooting performance overall. Freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller and Perkins each tallied 7 points, leading their team.
The Hokies spread the ball around with eight different players recording a basket. Kayl Petersen led her squad with 8 points, a 50 percent field goal percentage and a perfect 2 for 2 from the charity stripe.
Neither squad could swing the momentum in their favor in the third quarter, with both teams seeing their runs met with a run from the opposition. The Knights saw a flash of momentum with McMiller draining a three, followed by 9 straight points, boosting their lead to 5 points with approximately 5 minutes left in the third quarter.
Virginia Tech responded with a 7-point run of its own in the last 2 minutes of the third frame. After three-quarters of play, the margin between the two squads was razor-thin, with Rutgers leading 59-57 heading into the final period.
With a 2-point lead and 10 minutes left to play, it seemed the Knights had some momentum to close out the game. Just as the rest of the game had been, each Rutgers basket was quickly answered by a score from the Hokies. The Knights kept things close throughout the final frame, with the lead changing hands multiple times in the fourth.
A three-point basket from Carleigh Wenzel gave Virginia Tech the lead with approximately 5 minutes remaining. From here, the Hokies scored 12 unanswered points, expanding their lead to 10 points.
Despite 10 points in the quarter from senior guard and forward Destiny Adams, Rutgers could not fight its way back into the lead and ultimately lost for the first time in the young season. The Knights are back in action at home on Sunday for a matchup with their in-state foe, Princeton.
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