Rutgers women’s basketball just scraped by Monmouth with a tight 64-62 win on Wednesday, pulling off an insane 17-point comeback. Mia Pauldo, who is seriously emerging as a breakout star, dropped the game-winning basket with a mere three seconds left on the clock. It was absolutely wild, but folks, we gotta talk about how they even got into that mess in the first place.
The Great Escape: How They Dug Out of a Crater
This game was a tale of two halves, or really, a tale of one horrible start and one gritty fight back. The Knights came out of the gate like they were still asleep, trailing Monmouth 19-9 after the first quarter. Things only got worse in the second, with Monmouth stretching their lead to a whopping 17 points at one point, heading into halftime up 38-26. It felt like a total disaster. But then, something clicked. Coming out of the break, Rutgers flipped the script completely, holding Monmouth to just six points in the entire third quarter. They outscored the Hawks 18-6, completely erasing that monster deficit and tying the game at 44-44 going into the fourth. The final quarter was a nail-biter, with lead changes all over the place. Zachara Perkins even put Rutgers in front before Monmouth tied it up again at 62-62 with 11 seconds left. That’s when Pauldo, who led the team with 17 points and four assists, stepped up for the clutch bucket, and Rutgers sealed it with a steal. Perkins and Zennia Thomas also crushed it on the boards, snagging seven rebounds each, and Perkins matched Pauldo with four assists.
The Big Problem: A Win That Feels Like a Warning
Look, it’s awesome to see the fight to come back from being down 17. That’s pure grit. But let’s be real, the fact that Rutgers *fell* into a 17-point hole against Monmouth is a huge cause for concern. Monmouth, while having a decent 21-12 record last year, plays at a much lower level than the Knights. Defensively, Rutgers allowed Monmouth to hit 48 percent of their shots, 26 out of 54. They also got absolutely worked in the paint, getting outscored 34-26 underneath the basket. And nobody is really talking about Gigi Gamble, Monmouth’s starting guard, who went off for 30 points on 12 of 19 shooting! That’s just letting someone feast. The one bright spot on defense? They forced Monmouth into 22 turnovers, which honestly might be the only reason they were even in this game.
Up next, the Knights will host UAlbany on Monday, November 16, at 7 p.m. They have a few more out-of-conference games against weaker opponents, and they HAVE to use them to fix these issues before Big Ten play kicks off. This team needs to tighten up, or those comebacks won’t always be enough.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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