Guru’s WBB Report: Rutgers Sails on Black Friday Over Monmouth While Notre Dame Victim of Ohio University’s First Ranking Upset

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

Following a two-day delay due to a positive test of Covid-19 on the Monmouth side of the ledger, the Rutgers women’s basketball team celebrated Black Friday by ringing up a resounding 82-38 victory over the Hawks in their season and home opener in the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

 

Getting on the books on what was a relatively light schedule across the country, the game also served as the formal start of Rutgers’ coach C. Vivian Stringer’s 50th season on the sidelines, a first in women’s basketball and only the fourth overall.

 

Like everywhere else, it was a scene like no other with fans barred from the arena causing artificial crowd electricity to be supplied by technology.

 

“To be honest, when a game starts, I don’t normally pay attention to all that stuff anyway,” said Arella Guirantes, the prolific Scarlet Knights scorer and Big Ten coaches choice as co-conference player of the year, who bypassed a chance to leave early for the WNBA’s recent summer action and poured in a game-high 22 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field.

 

Stringer, after the long layoff since last winter’s Big Ten tournament due to the sports shutdown depriving Rutgers of an NCAA tournament, said she didn’t know what to expect with the first official mixture of veterans as Guirantes and newcomers like the talented Diamond Johnson, the No. 6 overall recruit in the country who arrived from Philadelphia’s powerful Neumann-Goretti High.

 

Johnson fit right in when she she hit the floor, making her first three shots and scoring 15 overall, connecting on 5-of-6 from the field, of which 3-of-4 attempts succeeded from beyond the arc.

 

In a game such as the rout was, two other newcomer freshmen also saw action as Liz Martino and Sakima Walker combined for 12 points.

 

Like the shoppers who gave up the comfort of online purchasing to arrive early ahead of the rest of whatever crowd did likewise, the Scarlet Knights took care of business very quickly with a 33-4 blastoff from the opening tip into the middle of the second quarter.

 

No Monmouth player scored in double figures, the best effort being eight points by reserve Jania Hall.

 

Johnson’s points were the most for a Scarlet Knights newcomer debut since Betnijah Laney, now with the WNBA Atlanta Dream, scored 18 to start the 2011-12 season. The aforementioned Laney is the daughter of former Cheyney all-American Yolanda Laney, whom Stringer coached at Cheyney before moving on for a long stay coaching at Iowa and then Rutgers in her now-50 seasons that included Final Four appearances with each program.

 

Like many other places, Rutgers’ non-conference schedule assembly continues to be a work in progress ahead of the Scarlet Knights’ Big Ten opener at Wisconsin on Dec. 11. Besides Guru central trying to keep up here, always check with all teams websites for game-day info, in the case of the Jersey folks at ScarletKnights.com.

 

Notre Dame Upset: Off a talented recruiting class, the Irish made it back into the Associated Press rankings following an unprecedented off year, clocking in at 22 in the preseason media vote under former Irish star Niele Ivey, who succeeded retired Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw last spring.

 

How long they stay will be depending on Sunday’s home opener at 4 p.m. with Duquesne, if that’s enough, after being upset by Mid-American Conference member Oho University 86-85 at the Bobcats’ Convocation Center in Athens for the program’s first-ever win over a nationally-ranked team.

 

“This team never seems to be overwhelmed by the moment,” Ohio U. Coach Bob Bolden said after his team improved to 2-0 while the Irish were in their first game of the season.

 

Notre Dame held a 77-70 lead with 6:03 left in regulation when the home team rallied.

 

“Today was no exception,” Bolden said. “We don’t get seven or eight chances to beat a Top-25 team, we get one or two. I’m proud of them for seizing that moment.”

 

An 8-0 rally from the deficit put the Bobcats in front 78-77 with 4:47 left. The teams traded baskets and then Ohio U. senior Cece Hooks scored with 52 seconds left and a half-minute later extended it with a free throw.

 

Hooks finished with 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

 

Erica Johnson, a redshirt junior guard, added 24 points to the Bobcats total.

 

Dara Mabrey scored a career-high 34 points for the depleted Irish, who lost a season opener for the first time in  25 years dating to a setback to Seton Hall.

 

Notre Dame had trailed by 14 points early in the third quarter before rallying for the 77-70 lead that was squandered.

 

“A lot of highs and lows, but I feel encouraged by this group,” Ivey said, “and that’s what I told them, not to hang their heads.

 

“My focus is for them to learn how to compete and get better, and I felt like we did that in the second half.”

 

Mabrey is a transfer from Virginia Tech and her 7-for-14 on three-point attempts was just one short of the program record for completions.

 

“I thought Ohio played amazing,” Ivey said. “Those two guards in double figures, with their experience, really took over the game. I thought they played exceptionally well.”

 

Anya Peoples had 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the visitors, while Destinee Walker scored 16, and freshman Maddy Westbeld scored 11 but was extremely limited by foul trouble.

 

Three returning Irish starters and two freshman posts did not play for undisclosed reasons and are not expected to play in Sunday’s home opener with Duquesne.

 

Elsewhere, the ranked teams who played all easily stayed out of harm’s way. 

It was No. 14 Arkansas over Wake Forest 98-82, No. 12 Maryland topping Davidson 94-72, No. 24 Missouri State over Florida Gulf Coast 74-49, No. 25 Michigan beat Oakland 95-62, and UCLA cruised over Cal State Fullerton in a delayed game 98-49 as Charisma Osbourne scored 31 points and Michaela Onyenwere scored 22 for the Bruins.

 

The New Math With Nova: Quinnipiac lost out on playing a tourney at the Mohegan Sun starting Saturday when Connecticut went into quarantine while the Wildcats lost their game at Manhattan when the Jaspers were sidelined.

 

Add the two subtractions and you now get Villanova will visit Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn., on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the People’s United Center.

 

Longtime Quinnipiac coach and Delran (N.J.) native Trish Fabbri, whose team has been a traditional MAAC power, and new Villanova coach Denise Dillon used to play non-conference against each other when Dillon coached at Drexel.

 

Meanwhile, Saint Joseph’s is expecting to play a local D-II rival on Dec. 13 when the Hawks come out of quarantine, which Sacred Heart has now entered in Fairfield, Conn.

 

La Salle’s game Saturday at Coppin State was previously cancelled, but Drexel under new head coach Amy Mallon is set to play at Rider at 2 p.m. on ESPN3 in Lawrenceville, N.J., above Trenton, while Delaware is at Delaware State.

 

La Salle will now host Towson Monday at 4 p.m. while Penn State will host Saint Francis, Pa., at 6 p.m.

 

Two key national games Saturday has No. 12 Maryland meeting No. 24 Missouri State in Estero, Fla., in the continuation of that tourney, while No. 19 DePaul hosts No. 13 Texas A&M at 5 p.m. in Chicago.

 

No. 14 Arkansas in Florida plays Florida Gulf Coast in the tourney at Estero, while in the Northwest No. 10 Oregon opens at home against Seattle at 4 p.m.

 

Information on the Notre Dame – Ohio game was drawn on repeorting from The Post,  the Ohio U. Student newspaper, and NDInsider.

 

And that’s the report.