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Rutgers Women’s Basketball Faces Unbeaten Argentina in Second FISU America Games Matchup

The Scarlet Knights look to improve to 2-0 in Lima, but an unbeaten Argentina squad should provide a stronger test of Rutgers’ intensity, rebounding and early team chemistry under Gary Redus II.
Edward Blair II|
Rutgers University Athletics

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Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers women’s basketball will face its first significant test of the FISU America Games when the Scarlet Knights meet unbeaten Argentina at noon ET Thursday in Lima, Peru.

Rutgers began play in the tournament Wednesday by dominating the host country of Peru 101-51 in a game played with a team from the United States. Rutgers asserted their control from the onset, scoring 33 points in the first quarter to go along with 11 first-quarter assists, and concluded the half with a 62-24 lead.

Argentina's opening game against Peru wasn’t just a 17-point loss for them. It was a relief for us as their first game of the tournament was out of the way, and the usual pre-tournament jitters would begin to wear off. Argentina had found an offense that could work, and now they could play with a bit of room to maneuver. The ladies were able to receive passes in game-like situations and then work to find space and receive more passes. In contrast to Rutgers displaying their scoring arsenal in the first match, Argentina has already shown in their first match and the second match how to bring their talent to bear in a close-out match and deliver on the crucial moments.

Rutgers Must Sustain Its Intensity

Head coach Gary Redus II was pleased with Rutgers’ energy against Peru, particularly its work on the glass, transition offense and unselfish play. However, the Scarlet Knights were limited to 16 points in the third quarter after scoring 62 before halftime.

“We kind of started playing the scoreboard,” Redus said. “We stopped playing with the intensity that we need to sustain, but they knew that and knew that without me even having to say it.”

Rutgers has a lot of work to do in the third quarter of games. The Scarlet Knights cannot allow a comfortable lead or an early scoring run to affect their defensive pressure and offensive execution against a more competitive opponent.

If Rutgers is going to play a full 40 minutes of basketball at the highest level of physical competition, then the corresponding energy has to match their very good defensive identity. The 2026-27 season will be the first for new coach Redus and Rutgers.

Frontcourt Play Could Again Set the Tone

Rutgers scored for a large part of their offense against Peru by rebounding, scoring in the paint, and getting additional chances on the board. Redus specifically praised Jaylah Lampley’s work on the boards, Zennia Thomas’ physical finishing, and Precious Gem Wheeler’s aggressiveness.

Thomas converted three consecutive and-one opportunities during the victory, while Lampley helped Rutgers generate additional possessions on the offensive glass. The frontcourt will continue to play a large part of the offense against Argentina.

Establishing an advantage on the glass would help Rutgers control the pace, limit Argentina to one shot and create transition opportunities for Mia and Mya Pauldo, Chikae Desdunes and the Scarlet Knights’ other guards.

Rutgers also received perimeter production throughout its rotation in the opener. The Pauldo twins and Desdunes connected for outside scores to take pressure off the Pauldo twins and allow others to concentrate on the paint for Peru. Going up against Argentina, maintaining a balance of production from inside the paint and from outside of the arc will be key to whether or not Rutgers can establish an early lead.

Argentina Presents a Different Challenge

Argentina showed they could remain composed to take out Chile in a real close match and advance to the next round of competition by the barest of margins – one point. Rutgers did not encounter that type of pressure against Peru after taking control during the opening quarter.

With that in mind, Thursday’s match-up against a decent team will give Rutgers a chance to go through some simulations of more competitive situations and get a jump start on being prepared for the rest of the season. Rutgers is going to have to take control of their own possessions, make some defensive adjustments to communicate, and then be patient if they decide to take the tempo down.

They are moving very quickly in transition, but need to slow down on offense in order not to rush to a wrong decision and to play at a pace that is best for them. Possessing the ball and playing good defense to try to stifle the opposition will put a lot of pressure on Argentina to try to come back into the game.

Another Early Chemistry Test

The game itself will matter in terms of advancing to the next round of the tournament. However, this game will give Rutgers another chance to put its newly reconstructed roster on display.

Several Scarlet Knights are playing together for the first time following an offseason filled with coaching and personnel changes. Every game in Lima that Redus and his staff are involved with will give them more information regarding potential lineups, individual players’ roles, and how a group of players is performing in segments of a game to regain momentum in a game that isn’t going their way.

Winning the match will send Rutgers into Saturday’s match against Ecuador with a record of 2-0. Getting a well-composed performance against unbeaten Argentina will give a better indication of how quickly the Scarlet Knights can get to that point of having good chemistry and playing to their strengths of playing under Redus.

The noon ET tip for Rutgers and Argentina will be live-streamed on YouTube.

Stay up to date on the Scarlet Knights by bookmarking  Rutgers On SI.

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Edward Blair II
EDWARD BLAIR II

Edward Blair II is a journalist, sportscaster, news producer, and multimedia professional with experience spanning sports journalism, broadcast production, coaching, and digital media. He currently serves as a News Producer for KOTA Territory News in Rapid City, South Dakota, while continuing to contribute sports coverage across multiple platforms. Blair has covered professional, collegiate, and pro sports as a writer for Sports Illustrated's On SI network, including coverage of the Seattle Storm, Philadelphia 76ers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and other programs. He also wrote for Last Word on College Football, where he covered Michigan Wolverines football and college football storylines nationwide. He is a contributor to Rutgers On SI.

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