Big Season in the Big Ten
The Scarlet Knights women’s basketball team had another strong season, going 22-9 (11-7 Big Ten). In the second round of the Big Ten Tournament (after receiving a first-round bye), No. 5 Rutgers came from behind to beat No. 12 Wisconsin, 63−55, before losing to No. 4 Indiana in the quarterfinals, 78−60, the round to which the Scarlet Knights have advanced in five of their six Big Ten Tournament appearances. Guard Arella Guirante SAS’20, later named an All-America Honorable Mention by both the United States Basketball Writers Association and the Associated Press, had a game-high 30 points against Indiana, including 15 from the free throw line—a tournament record. The Scarlet Knights were ready to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, marking Rutgers’ 26th tournament appearance when it was canceled on March 12 because of the COVID-19 crisis. “All of a sudden, it was over,” said head coach C. Vivian Stringer, the winner of the 2020 Legends of Coaching Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement, during a podcast interview with onthebanks.com. “We did so well and had done so much. Then it was snatched from us. But it was snatched from everybody.”