Jan. 5, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Following its first Big Ten victory of the season over Indiana earlier this week, the Penn State women's basketball program will travel to Rutgers for a Big Ten tilt on Saturday (Jan. 6). The Lady Lions (10-6, 1-2 B1G) will face the Scarlet Knights (15-2, 3-0 B1G) inside the Rutgers Athletic Center at 4:30 p.m. with the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Follow Along
Fans can follow along with Penn State's contest at Rutgers on Twitter and Instagram (@PennStateWBB), or via live audio, live stats and live video with the links to the right.
Series Quick Facts
// Penn State and Rutgers will meet for the 43rd time in program history and fifth time as B1G competitors. MORE ON PAGE 4
// Rutgers is one of just two B1G programs that own a winning record vs. Penn State, holding a 24-18 edge in the all-time series. MORE ON PAGE 3
// Rutgers won the lone meeting last season, 61-45, on its home floor, while the two teams will meet again this season on Jan. 18 in Happy Valley, after playing only once in each of the last two seasons.
// Penn State is 7-1 all-time on Jan. 6, including a current five-game winning streak. MORE ON PAGE 5
Opening Tips
// Penn State faces its toughest start to a conference season in program history, facing three ranked foes in its first four games to start the B1G slate. MORE ON PAGE 3
// Penn State currently leads the NCAA in free throws attempted and free throws made. MORE ON PAGE 12 & 21
// Sophomore Jaida Travascio-Green has rounded her game off this season and is more than just a 3-point specialist, as the sophomore has already eclipsed a pair of statistical marks from her rookie campaign. MORE ON PAGE 11 & 44
// Redshirt-sophomore Amari Carter scored a career-best 26 points vs. Indiana on Wednesday for her fourth 20-point game of the season and fifth of her career. MORE ON PAGE 5, 8 & 28
// Freshman Alisia Smith continues to make an impact over the last four games, netting double-double at American and chipping in 10 points and seven boards against Indiana. MORE ON PAGE 9, 10 & 26
// The Lady Lions closed out a four-game true road game swing at Michigan on Thursday, a stretch that is tied for the sixth-longest in program history and longest since 2006-07. MORE ON PAGE 12
// Head coach Coquese Washington is looking for her 200th career victory, entering the game with 191 career wins on the sidelines. MORE ON PAGE 13
// Penn State is one of 11 Division I programs to enter the 2017-18 season with zero seniors on its roster, including one of only two power five conference teams. MORE ON PAGE 13
// Penn State inked three prep standouts for the 2018-19 season, with Lauren Ebo, Karisma Ortiz and Bexley Wallace all singing National Letters of Intent on Nov. 8. MORE ON PAGE 13
Scouting Rutgers
// Rutgers enters on a 10-game winning streak - including three-straight victories to open B1G play - and are an unblemished 10-0 at home this season.
// During the 10-game winning streak, nine of those victories have come at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
// Rutgers and Penn State share two common opponents, with each squad defeating Wake Forest and Siena. Rutgers topped the Demon Deacons, 65-51, on Nov. 19 and downed the Saints, 59-47, on Dec. 2.
// All 14 members of the available roster have appeared in 13 of the first 17 games of the 2017-18 season for the Scarlet Knights, with all 14 members of the team owning points, rebounds, assists and steals this season.
// Senior Tyler Scaife returned this season after missing 2016-17 due to injury and has led Rutgers in scoring in 16 of the 17 games, including 11 20-point efforts. Scaife has reached double-figures in each of her 17 games this season.
// Junior Caitlin Jenkins posted her sixth double-digit rebound game of the season vs. Illinois, hauling in 10 boards to lead the team in that category for the 10th time in 2017-18.
Last Five Games
// Penn State is 2-3 over its last five games, with victories at Pittsburgh on Dec. 20 and vs. Indiana on Jan. 3.
// The Lady Lions continue to collect steals as the season nears the midway point, collecting 37 steals - 7.4 per game - over the last five contests.
// Both Teniya Page and Amari Carter are averaging 2.0 steals per game or better over the last five games, with Page netting 11 swipes (2.2 spg) and Carter owning 10 thefts (2.0 spg).
// The Lady Lions continue to clean up at the charity stripe, making 16.8 shots per game from the free throw line. As a team, Penn State is hitting 69.4 percent of its freebies.
// Along those lines, five Lady Lions have made double-digit free throws over the last five games. Page is 18-of-25, Alisia Smith is 18-of-22, Carter is 16-of-20, Jaida Travascio-Green is 12-of-13 and Siyeh Frazier is 10-of-16.
// Page leads Penn State with 16.8 points per game over the last five games, despite just nine points on New Year's Eve vs. Maryland.
// Carter and Travascio-Green are also averaging in double-figures over the last five games. Carter is chipping in 14.4 points per contest, while Travascio-Green is at 11.6 points per game.
// The duo of De'Janae Boykin and Smith are pacing the squad on the boards. Boykin leads the team with 36 rebounds (7.2 rpg), while Smith has 28 boards over the last five games (5.6 rpg).
Last Meeting ââ'¬" at Rutgers 61, Penn State 45 (Dec. 31, 2016)
// Amari Carter led the team in scoring for the first time in her career with a then-career-high 17 points.
// Carter sank a career-best four 3-pointers in the game.
// She added four assists and three steals.
// Sierra Moore made her first start since March 4, 2015. She missed 2015-16 due to injury and came off the bench in the first 13 games.
// Moore finished second on the team with 14 points in the game.
// She added five rebounds, two steals and one assist.
// Peyton Whitted tallied 10 points ââ'¬" eight coming in the second half ââ'¬" and tied for game high with seven rebounds.
// Whitted's seven rebounds move her career total to 544 caroms, pushing her past Maggie Lucas (541, 2011-14) for No. 27 all-time at Penn State.
// Ashanti Thomas tied for game high with seven rebounds.
// Teniya Page missed the game due to injury (finger).
// The Lady Lions used just its third starting lineup combination of the season at Rutgers; starting Carter, Kaliyah Mitchell, Moore, Lindsey Spann and Thomas.
// Penn State controlled the boards to the tune of a 45-30 rebounding margin.
// The plus-15 rebound margin marks the second-highest margin of the season (Pittsburgh, +18).
// Of the 45 rebounds, 23 of them came on the offensive end. The 23 offensive rebounds were the most since grabbing 24 caroms on the offensive end against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 2, 2012.
// The 23 offensive boards were the most in a Big Ten game since pulling down 29 vs. Ohio State on Feb. 20, 2012.
// Penn State's four points in the first quarter were the fewest in any quarter in 2016-17 and the fewest since the NCAA went to quarters at the start of the 2015-16 season.
Complete notes package available by clicking here.