Monmouth Hawks (0-1, 0-0 MAAC) - 38
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) - 82
 
PISCATAWAY, NJ- Shooting 50 percent (28-56) from the floor, Rutgers defeated the Monmouth University women's basketball team in the 2020-21 season opener on Friday morning, 82-38.
 
The Scarlet Knights outscored the Hawks 49-12 in the second and third quarters to pull away, and added 22 points from Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year Arella Guirantes.
 
Freshman Jania Hall (Gaithersburg, MD/St. Vincent Pallotti) led Monmouth with eight points on three field goals made, and also grabbed a team-high three steals.
 
Freshman Gabrielle Wener (Oakland, ME/Messalonskee) added seven points in the loss, including two triples early in the first quarter.
 
Monmouth falls to 0-1 on the season, and will play its home opener on Wednesday, December 2 against La Salle.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"We had some promising signs in the first and fourth quarters, but we showed our inexperience against their pressure. In the end, our turnovers killed us and they led to over half of their points. There is a lot to build on from our first game."  – Monmouth head coach Jody Craig
 
-Wener registered her first career points and started the scoring with a triple from the corner. A couple of possessions later, she drilled another one.
-The Scarlet Knights went on a 9-0 run after Wener's triples. After one quarter, Rutgers led 19-10.  
-Rutgers scored the first 16 points of the second quarter, and eventually outscored the Hawks 23-4 in the frame. At halftime, the home team took a 42-14 lead. Rutgers shot 50% (16-32) from the floor, while holding the Hawks to 19% (4-21).
-Made free throws from freshman Ariana Vanderhoop and junior Lucy Thomas, followed by a turnaround hook from freshman Belle Kranbuhl gave Monmouth the first four points of the third.
-Rutgers ended the third quarter on a 15-0 run, including a late triple, and built a 68-22 advantage heading into the fourth.
-Hall came up with a steal and eventually converted an and-one layup on the other end late in the fourth.
-One possession later, good ball movement ended in a three-pointer for redshirt junior Jen Louro. A layup from freshman Sakeria Haralson extended Monmouth's run to 8-0.
-Rutgers closed out the game with a couple of free throws, eventually winning 82-38.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth started three freshmen (Vanderhoop, Wener, Kranbuhl).
-Monmouth's five freshmen combined for 25 of the 38 points.
-Louro scored six points on 2-of-4 3FG.
-Kranbuhl added six points on 3-of-5 from the floor.
-Rutgers held a 42-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
-The Hawks outscored Rutgers 16-14 in the fourth quarter.
-Both teams grabbed 30 total rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will host La Salle on Wednesday, December 2. Tip from the OceanFirst Bank Center is set for 7:00 PM. The teams will meet for the first time since 2015, when the Explorers earned a 65-50 win.