Four numbers to know ahead of Iowa-Rutgers WBB

The Iowa Women’s Basketball team has found their stride. With the short two-game road trip complete, the Hawkeyes return home to face Rutgers on Thursday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and they will do it riding a five-game winning streak. It will be the 17th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Iowa winning 12 of the 13 matchups since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten. Led by third-year head coach Coquese Washington, Rutgers will enter the game with a 10-14 overall record and a 2-11 mark in Big Ten play. Back on Sunday, in their last game, the Scarlet Knights defeated Purdue 78-69 in Piscataway.

HawkeyeReport takes a look at some important numbers to know going into Thursday’s matchup between the Hawkeyes and Scarlet Knights.

41.3% – Rutgers effective field goal percentage in Big Ten play

Rutgers has struggled to put up points in Big Ten play, averaging just 63.0 points per game, while they have surpassed 70 points in just three games. Although they are 15th in turnovers per game in conference play, their inability to knock down shots has been a bigger concern.

The Scarlet Knights are dead last in the Big Ten in effective field goal percentage (41.3%) in conference games, shooting just 37.2% from the floor and 28.8% from three-point range. All three of those numbers either rank 17th or 18th in the Big Ten. They’ve shot over 40.0% from the floor in just four of their 13 Big Ten games and have shot under 35.0% in two games.

31.8% and 38.6%- Rutgers offensive rebound percentage for and against in Big Ten play

Maybe the most intriguing stat for the Scarlet Knights is that they can really crash the glass on the offensive end of the floor, but are one of the worst in the country on the defensive boards.

Rutgers has a 31.8% offensive rebound percentage against Big Ten teams and are second in the conference, averaging 13.1 offensive rebounds per game. Their efforts on the glass are led by Destiny Adams and Chyna Cornwell, who are averaging an incredible 9.9 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes. They’ve totaled 15 or more offensive rebounds in five of 13 games, while they been held to less than ten offensive boards just three times.

On the defensive end, Coach Coquese Washington has not been able to get her team to channel the same effort. Rutgers ranks dead last in the Big Ten in offensive rebound percentage given up (38.6%). Their 34.9% offensive rebound rate given up in all games ranks 304th in the country and is bottom five amongst all power conference teams. In Big Ten play, the Scarlet Knights are giving up 14.6 offensive rebounds per game, including six games where they have allowed 15+ offensive boards.

The Hawkeyes will come into the game ranked 23rd in the country in rebounding margin, 10th in defensive rebounding percentage and 130th in offensive rebounding percentage.

33.2 – Combined shots per game for Kiyomi McMiller and Destiny Adams

The Scarlet Knights are going to lean on their top two scorers more than any other team in the Big Ten, with freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller and forward Destiny Adams combining for 33.2 shot attempts per game. As you would expect, those shot attempts translate to scoring, with the duo combining to average 36.6 points per game. That’s nearly 55% of the teams’ 68.9 points per game.

A five-star true freshman, McMiller has attempted 20+ shots in nine games and scored 20+ points in ten games, including a season-high 33 points against Nebraska. As for Adams, she has totaled 20+ shot attempts in seven games and has scored 20+ points in eight games, including a season-high 36 points against NJIT.

5.0 and 28.8% – Rutgers three-point shooting in Big Ten play

Three-point shooting has not been a strength for Rutgers, ranking 16th in made threes per game (5.0) in Big Ten play and 17th in three-point percentage (28.8%). Freshman forward Zachara Perkins (7/16, 43.8%) is the only player on the roster with three-point shooting percentage above 35.0% in conference play, while they have made five or fewer triples in seven Big Ten games. Guards Kiyomi McMiller and JoJo Lacey are the biggest threats from behind the arc, averaging 3.3 made triples per game in Big Ten play. It is worth noting that Northwestern came to Iowa City with similar numbers and were able to knock down a season-high nine triples in what was an 85-80 win for the Hawkeyes.