Guirantes scores 27, Rutgers tops Wisconsin 63-55 at Big Ten

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Arella Guirantes scored 11 of Rutgers‘ 14 third-quarter points and finished with 27 as the fifth-seeded Scarlet Knights beat No. 12 seed Wisconsin 63-55 on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten Conference tournament.

Rutgers trailed for most of the third quarter, but Guirantes kept them in it before taking over with seven points during a 12-0 run to open the fourth quarter for a nine-point lead. The Scarlet Knights led by as many as five points the rest of the way.

Guirantes entered ranked 14th in the nation in scoring at 20 points per game and she finished 10 of 17 from the field with three 3-pointers.

Rutgers (22-8) will play 20th-ranked Indiana in the second quarterfinal game on Friday, reaching the round for the fifth time in its last six appearances. The Scarlet Knights opened the season by winning 15 of 17 games — with the second loss coming against the fourth-seeded Hoosiers on Dec. 31.

Wisconsin (12-19) was led by Imani Lewis with 19 points and 10 rebounds for her 18th double-double of the season. She’s fifth in program history for career double-doubles. Niya Beverley was the third, and final, player in the game with double-digit scoring at 11.