Penn State Back In The BJC To Host Rutgers ThursdayPenn State Back In The BJC To Host Rutgers Thursday
Mark Selders

Penn State Back In The BJC To Host Rutgers Thursday



UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team returns home after a tough road stretch to host Rutgers Thursday night. Tipoff from the Bryce Jordan Center is set for 7 p.m.
 


 
PROMOTIONS

  • Ignite The PRIDE night
  • Face painting on the concourse

 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
OPENING TIPS

  • Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center to host a strong Rutgers team Thursday night.
  • Penn State is 7-9 overall and earned its first Big Ten victory of the season against against Michigan State the last time the Lady Lions played in the BJC. Four of Penn State's wins this season have come over 2019 NCAA Tournament teams.
  • Junior Kamaria McDaniel is the Big Ten's second-leading scorer with 19.6 points per game. Senior Siyeh Frazier (13.5 ppg) is also averaging double-digit points.

 
IF PENN STATE BEATS RUTGERS

  • The Lady Lions would pick up their second win over the Scarlet Knights since Rutgers joined the Big Ten.
  • Penn State would hand Rutgers just its second loss of Big Ten play.
  • Penn State would improve to 6-4 in home games this season.

 
SCOUTING RUTGERS

  • Rutgers sits in a four-way tie atop the Big Ten standings with a 4-1 mark in conference play. The Scarlet Knights are 7-9 overall and receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches Polls.
  • Rutgers' lone loss of Big Ten play came on Dec. 31 in the form of a 66-56 setback to Indiana. The Scarlet Knights have captured conference wins over Wisconsin (64-61, Dec. 28), Purdue (59-53, Jan. 5), Illinois (75-51, Jan. 9) and Nebraska (69-65, Jan. 12).
  • The Scarlet Knights lead the Big Ten in scoring defense as their opponents are averaging just 52.9 points per game.
  • Arella Guirantes is the Big Ten's leading scorer, averaging 19.7 points per game and a team-best 7.1 rebounds per conest.
  • Tekia Mack (13.4 ppg) and Khadaizha Sanders (10.6 ppg) have also been key offensive contributors.

 
AGAINST THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

  • Rutgers leads the all-time series that dates back to 1977, 27-19. Penn State is 1-7 against the Scarlet Knights since Rutgers joined the Big Ten.
  • A cold-shooting afternoon was too much for Penn State to overcome in the most recent meeting between the two teams on Jan. 27, 2019 as #14/18 Rutgers claimed a 69-61 victory inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
  • Penn State shot 50.0 percent (8-for-16) from the field in the fourth quarter, but just 22.2 percent (8-for-36) from the floor in the first three quarters combined. Teniya Page led PSU with 18 points and seven assists, while Amari Carter followed with 14 points.

 
DANGEROUS DUO

  • The duo of senior Siyeh Frazier and junior Kamaria McDaniel became the first pair of Penn State players to both score 20-plus points in back-to-back games since the 2011-12 season.
  • Frazier and McDaniel both scored 24 points against Michigan State on Jan. 9 and followed that with 22-point performances at Ohio State on Jan. 12.
  • The last time the same two players scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games was Nov. 26 and Nov. 30, 2011 when Zhaque Gray and Maggie Lucas did so. Gray scored 21 against Nevada on Nov. 26, 2011 and 25 against North Carolina on Nov. 30, 2011, while Lucas dropped 26 against Nevada and 21 against UNC.
  • Frazier and McDaniel have been off to a torrid start in conference play. McDaniel is averaging 23.2 points per conference game, while Frazier owns a mark of 17.4 points per Big Ten contest.


20-20 VISION

  • Junior Kamaria McDaniel has scored 20 or more points in four of Penn State's first five Big Ten games. She's the first Lady Lion to score 20-plus in four of the first five conference games since Tyra Grant did so during the 2009-10 season.
  • The Inkster, Mich. native has tallied seven 20-plus point efforts this season and has scored in double figures in 15 of Penn State's 16 games.

 
KAMARIA McBUCKETS

  • Kamaria McDaniel is the Big Ten's second-leading scorer and averaging 19.6 points per game. That mark ranks 24th in all of Division I as of Jan. 15. Her 23.2 points per Big Ten game also ranks second in the conference.
  • She dropped the third 40-point game in program history against Pittsburgh on Dec. 5 and put up a 31-point performance against Minnesota in the Big Ten opener on Dec. 28.
  • McDaniel was just one assist away from recording Penn State's first triple-double of the Big Ten era on Jan. 9 against Michigan State as she tallied team-best marks of 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. It marked her first career double-double.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State hits the road against this weekend to take on Northwestern Sunday afternoon.
  • Tipoff from Evanston, Ill. is set for 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.