Rutgers women's basketball earns 3rd conference victory with win over Penn State

The Rutgers women’s basketball team got back in the win column yesterday in thrilling fashion with an 86-82 victory over Penn State in overtime. The Scarlet Knights (9-13, 2-7) narrowly defeated the Nittany Lions (12-9, 3-7) in a back-and-forth, highlight-reel matchup.

Pre-game festivities included a special presentation for senior guard Kai Carter, who scored her 1,000th career point on Sunday when the team faced off with Michigan State. Carter is the only active Rutgers player to reach that achievement. 

The Knights got the ball rolling in the first, putting up the first two points. Penn State showed its offensive strength early, getting inside the paint and keeping a healthy lead in the opening quarter. Rutgers’ five fouls in the first period certainly helped the Nittany Lion’s early success.

The second period looked much brighter for the Knights. They kept Penn State at a close distance throughout and took a brief lead thanks to a jumper from junior forward Chyna Cornwell with less than a minute left in the half. When the first-half buzzer sounded, Rutgers trailed the Nittany Lions 33-32.

The Knights continued their second-half success in the third period of play, outscoring Penn State 29-23 . In the final minute, a handful of free throws from Carter gave Rutgers a 5-point lead and ended the third at 61-56. 

The fourth quarter kept up the game’s intensity. Graduate student guard Abby Streeter hit the first three-pointer of the game for the Knights, sparking momentum for the team. Three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and freshman guard Kaylene Smikle followed with a three of her own to give Rutgers an 8-point lead at the 6:36 mark.

As time rolled down in regulation, the match gained intensity with the two teams having to battle until time ran out. The Nittany Lions came back to tie up the score at 76-76 with 40 seconds left. Junior forward Erica Lafayette hit a big mid-range jumper at the 23-second mark that was quickly answered by a Penn State layup just 3 seconds later, resulting in a tie at the end of four periods which sent the game into an overtime session.

The extra time looked identical to the rest of the game: back and forth with the two rivals fighting for the lead. Down 82-80 with 2:01 remaining, Carter tied the game back up and gave the Knights the lead with a layup and an ensuing free throw. The Nittany Lions had one more crack at victory with a good-looking long-distance shot with the clock winding down, but the rebound was corralled by freshman forward Antonia Bates. Bates stepped up to the free throw line after being fouled to secure the victory for Rutgers.

To add to the exciting game, Carter collected her 500th career rebound, and head coach Coquese Washington picked up her first win against her former team.

Washington commented on how much fun the thriller against Penn State was in her opening statement at the post-game press conference. "Basketball is a game. As long as you can have fun, win or lose," Washington said. "This was a great environment. Our fans were amazing. We played hard and gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game in the fourth quarter … It was a fun game to coach."

The Knights will hit the road this weekend and look to bring momentum to Bloomington, Indiana after an instant classic when they take on tough No. 6 Indiana. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. on Sunday and will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network+ as well 88.7 WRSU-FM.