Rutgers Drops Road Contest at Old Dominion, 72-55
Dec 30 | Women's Basketball
NORFOLK, Va. - Freshman guard Epiphanny Prince (Brooklyn, N.Y.) registered a game-high 17 points but it was not enough as Rutgers dropped a 72-55 decision to Old Dominion at the Ted Constant Center on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Kia Vaughn (Bronx, N.Y.) joined Prince in double-figures, scoring 16 points and adding eight rebounds for the Scarlet Knights who dropped to 5-5 on the year.
The Lady Monarchs (4-7) were paced by seniors Sherida Triggs and Tish Lyons, each who netted 14 points.
Old Dominion, down by six at the break, compiled a 19-12 run to take its first lead since early in the first half. A pair of free throws by Trigg capped off the spurt and gave the Lady Monarchs a 48-47 lead with 12:59 remaining, one they would not relinquish.
The Scarlet Knights went 4-of-12 from the field during the seven-minute run, committing five of its 19 turnovers. It did not get any better for RU as ODU reeled off a 13-2 scoring drive to push the advantage to 61-49 with 7:11 to play. ODU scored 15 of its 43 second-half points off of Scarlet Knight miscues.
"They got second opportunities for rebounds and tended to be confused on what we needed to run," head coach C. Vivian Stringer noted after the game. "I thought we were very tentative on the shots, but more so the shot selection. We just don't have it right now."
We allowed second and third opportunities on the boards. It may show up even but it was bad times. We had too many people not understanding what was and is a good shot. WE have not been a very good team at all this year and we continue to not show up."
The Scarlet Knights jumped to an early lead (8-7) on a pair of free throws from Prince with 16:10 showing and added to it. Matee Ajavon weaved her way in into traffic, scoring the lay-up and drawing the foul. The junior converted the free throw to push the Scarlet Knights ahead, 13-9 at the 13:45 mark. While Old Dominion went sour from the field, Prince drained a three-pointer from the left baseline and Ray followed with a free throw for a 17-9 edge.
RU added to its advantage, pulling out to a 10-point lead( 19-9) following an offensive put-back from Vaughn in the paint with 8:14 showing in the first. The Scarlet Knights led by as many as 12 on two occasions in the first 20 minutes, lastly with 5:41 showing on a lay-up from Rahsidat Junaid.
The Lady Monarchs chipped at the lead behind a flurry of three-pointers - Jassmin Walters, Jen Nuzzo and Tish Lyons each drained triples in a 1:35 span to pull the home team to 29-25.
Old Dominion knotted the score at 29-29 with 2:08 remaining on a Tiffany Green lay-up but the Scarlet Knights responded. Vaughn tallied four of RU's final six points of the half for a 35-29 lead at intermission.
"The upperclassman have forgotten how to lead and maybe they have not had to. And the leadership did not come in today. The freshmen have grown just not enough."
Stringer concluded, "For lack of a better word, we were not mentally able to catch on."
GAME NOTES:
All-Time Versus Old Dominion
The Lady Monarchs moved to a 13-10 all-time record versus the Scarlet Knights.
Freshman Epiphanny Prince scored in double figures for the tenth straight time in her young career.
