Rutgers Women's Basketball Falls to Buffalo in WNIT Great 8
Rutgers women's basketball season has come to an end after falling 71-64 to Buffalo in the WNIT's Great 8.
The Bison used a stong rally in the second half to push past the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers went into halftime with a 34-27 lead; however, Buffalo would outscore Rutgers 44-30 in the second half by clamping down under the basket and upping the tempo of their offense.
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Rutgers was able to keep the game under control throughout much of the third quarter, however, Buffalo would draw within one score several times. Rutgers would close out the quarter with a 45-42 lead.
Buffalo would come out of the gates blazing in the fourth, going on a 9-2 run to take the lead, before Jojo Lacey would hit two back to back buckets to tie the game at 51. This would not be enough to change the tide, as Buffalo would go on two consecutive 7-0 runs to seal the victory.
In her last game as a Knight, Destiny Adams put up her 18th double-double of the season, netting 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Lacey also found her way to the basket a lot in her final college game, netting 16 points and grabbing 6 rebounds before fouling out with under a minute left.
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The Knights' biggest issue was defending and scoring in transition, as they let up 27 fast break points and only scored seven themselves.
With the season coming to a close, Rutgers has a lot of work to do in the transfer portal. With the whole situation surrounding Kiyomi McMiller, the Knights were a team that largely circled around their four seniors and the experience that came with them. Next year, they will have neither McMiller nor their Seniors to rely on.
The Transfer Portal for Women's Basketball opened last Tuesday and will stay open until April 23.
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It's a big summer for Van Pran-Granger because not only does he need to convince the coaches that he's the first substitute in case of an in-season McGovern injury, but he could also be their starter in 2026 should the Bills move on from McGovern, who is a free agent after the year. Van Pran-Granger will also have to contend with Alec Anderson, who didn't practice during team drills for the second straight day, but has also worked at center throughout his time in Buffalo. For now, with the deck cleared, Van Pran-Granger has his best opportunity to show his abilities since arriving in Buffalo. Any time there's a spring practice that doesn't have full pads, and there's an enhanced focus on restricting physicality to coincide with the league's rules for the offseason program, it's tough to gauge offensive and defensive line play. It's mostly a game of hypotheticals in being where you're supposed to be and executing assignments, as opposed to training camp being about winning one-on-ones, splitting double teams and showing the true nature of the position. However, every now and then there's a standout play, and 2025 second-round pick T.J. Sanders delivered one on the final play of practice. As quarterback Mike White dropped back to pass on a fourth down situation, Sanders held his spot at the point of attack, kept his jersey clean and kept his eyes on White the entire rep. When White reared back to pass, Sanders timed his jump and batted down the fourth down pass at the line with authority. It was a nice moment for the rookie, who has generally been acclimating himself to the new defense. The big test for Sanders will be when the pads go on at training camp and we'll get to see how his speed and power as a pass rusher look against NFL competition. • CB Tre'Davious White had a tough day in one-on-one coverage, but made one of the biggest defensive plays of the day when an Allen pass was thrown a bit behind Shakir, it bounced off Shakir and into the arms of White for a pick-six. • WR Elijah Moore, working with various quarterbacks throughout the day, caught all five of his catch opportunities in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work. Three of his catches came when working with Allen, and the other two were with White. • WR Laviska Shenault, after participating fully on Tuesday, was a non-participant on Wednesday due to an undisclosed injury. He was in attendance for the practice, however. Not taking part in 11-on-11 work: RB Ty Johnson, WR Laviska Shenault, WR K.J. Hamler, C Connor McGovern, IOL Alec Anderson, LB Baylon Spector, LB Shaq Thompson, NCB Cam Lewis, S Cole Bishop, S Damar Hamlin Up next: The Bills will hold their final day of minicamp practice at 11 a.m. on Thursday. (Top photo of Keon Coleman: Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
