PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Ciani Cryor scored a career-high 22 points and No. 17 Rutgers rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half to beat Indiana 69-64 on Thursday night.
Rutgers (17-4, 9-1 Big Ten) trailed 43-31 in the third quarter before scoring 15 of the final 19 points of the period to trail by one. The Scarlet Knights used a full court press to get back in the game and force Indiana to commit turnover after turnover during the final part of the third period.
Charise Wilson was called for a technical foul as the buzzer sounded and Indiana hit two free throws to start the fourth quarter and extend the lead to three.
The Scarlet Knights trailed 53-51 with 5:34 left before Arella Guirantes converted a 3-point play and gave Rutgers its first lead of the game. Cryor hit two free throws and had a steal for a layup to give Rutgers a five-point lead with 80 seconds left. Indiana (16-6, 5-5) scored the next four points to get within 62-61 in the final minute but couldn't score until eight seconds remained that made it 67-64. The Scarlet Knights hit seven of eight from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the win.
Brenna Wise scored 15 points to lead the Hoosiers (16-6, 5-5).
Indiana built a 33-24 halftime lead behind a stellar defense that held Rutgers to just 27 percent shooting (8 for 30). The Scarlet Knights missed 10 of their first 11 shots and trailed 27-14 midway through the second quarter before cutting the deficit to nine at the break.
TIP-INS: Rutgers honored Stasha Carey before the game for scoring her 1,000th career point on Jan. 16 against Purdue. ... The Hoosiers are in the midst of a difficult road stretch. Including Thursday's game, Indiana plays four of its next five away from home. ... Rutgers has won all 11 of its home games this season.
GOING STREAKING: Indiana has won the past three games against Rutgers after dropping the first four in the series to the Scarlet Knights.
UP NEXT:
Indiana: visits Nebraska on Sunday.
Rutgers: visits Minnesota on Sunday.
