Rutgers legend C. Vivian Stringer gets a warm welcome from the crowd ahead of matchup against Lauren Betts’ undefeated UCLA

Rutgers women's basketball legend C. Vivian Stringer returned to the Jersey Mike's Arena on Thursday night for the Scarlet Knights matchup against No. 1 UCLA Bruins. The Hall of Fame coach was greeted with a warm welcome from the crowd.

Stringer, who spent 50 seasons as a head coach, including 27 at Rutgers, was seated courtside to watch her former team take on the juggernaut Bruins' undefeated 19-0 squad, led by junior center Lauren Betts.

In a video posted by Big Ten women's basketball on Instagram, Stringer was seen smiling and waving to the crowd as they erupted in cheers for the winningest coach in Rutgers women's basketball history.

"Legendary @rutgerswbb coach C. Vivian Stringer is in the house for the Scarlet Knights’ game against No. 1 UCLA 🤩," the caption read.

However, the Scarlet Knights were unable to pull off the upset, falling to the Bruins 84-66. Betts dominated the game, recording a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

Following the defeat, Rutgers is winless in eight consecutive games with an 8-12 overall and a horrendous 0-9 conference record — not the type of performance Stringer would expect to see from her former squad.

Hoops fans react to C. Vivian Stringer's return to Rutgers

C. Vivian Stringer's return to Rutgers' game on Thursday night had many Scarlet Knights fans leaving comments on Big Ten's Instagram post, expressing their joy and affection for the legendary coach.

Here are some of the reactions:

"One of the best to ever do it!!!!" one fan wrote, adding a saluting emoji as a gesture of respect.

"The queen herself," another one commented.

"The one & only ❤️🤍," a fan said.

"Our G.O.A.T." one user added.

Here are a few other reactions:

"The GOAT of GOATS 😍" a fan wrote.

"Welcome home, CVS!," one more stated.

Fans commented on Instagram (@b1gwbb/IG)

C. Vivian Stringer's coaching legacy at Rutgers is unparalleled since she is the only coach in program history to take the team to the NCAA Final Four in 2000 and 2007. The Scarlet Knights reached their first NCAA championship game in 2007 under Stringer but failed to capture the national title.

She is the fifth-winningest coach in the history of women's basketball, with 1,055 career wins (.784 winning percentage), and has coached the most seasons (50) as a head coach. Stringer was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and she announced his retirement in 2022.