Rutgers Defeats Syracuse, 60-43, for Ninth-Straight Win
Feb 19 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Michelle Campbell (Princeton, NJ) and Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) each scored 13 points to help No. 7/8 Rutgers (21-3, 13-0 BIG EAST) beat Syracuse (9-15, 2-11 BIG EAST) 60-43 on Sunday for its ninth straight win. Campbell also scored her 1,000th career point, becoming the 24th Rutgers player to achieve the milestone.
Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ) added 11 points while Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ) and Kia Vaughn (Bronx, NY) added 10 for Rutgers, which has won 21 straight conference games dating back to last season. It was the first time this season all five starters scored in double figures for Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights took an 11-2 lead and never looked back as Syracuse was overwhelmed by the defensive pressure of the Scarlet Knights, which resulted in 16 turnovers. The Orange made just eight field goals in the first half, and 19 of RU’s 33 points came directly off turnovers. Rutgers opened a 15-point lead with 6:36 left in the first half and had a double-digit lead the rest of the game.
Vaughn earned the starting nod and responded by scoring six points in the first eight minutes. Overall, Rutgers’ frontline of Vaughn and Campbell combined for 23 points, 17 rebounds and one block. In the backcourt, Ajavon tied her career high with six steals to go with her 11 points and six assists.
Ahead 33-20 at halftime, jumpers by Pondexter and Campbell extended the lead to 17 points (37-20) at the 16:29 mark and the Scarlet Knights never looked back.
Jenny Eckhart was the only Syracuse player to score in double figures (11 points) as the Orange shot just 39.5 percent for the game. Rutgers outrebounded the Orange 38-25, including an 18-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
The Scarlet Knights go on the road to Marquette and Pittsburgh this week, before hosting No. 8/6 Connecticut next Monday night in the regular-season finale.
POSTGAME NOTES
WITH THIS WIN…
With a 60-43 victory against Syracuse on Sunday afternoon, Rutgers extended its current winning streak to nine consecutive games, and 21 straight in BIG EAST regular-season contests. The Scarlet Knights also improved to 15-0 against the Orange when playing at the RAC.
CAMPBELL TOPS 1,000 POINT SCORING MARK
Senior forward Michelle Campbell joined the 23 previous Scarlet Knight players to score 1,000 career points. At the 16:38 mark in the first half, Campbell scored a layup to become the 24th member of RU’s 1,000 point club. She currently has 1,011 career points.
VAUGHN PROVIDES INSIDE PRESENCE
Freshman center Kia Vaughn earned her seventh start of the season, scoring 13 points and finishing one rebound shy of her third career double-double with nine boards. Vaughn’s 13-point effort also marks her fourth double-digit scoring game of her career.
AJAVON TURNS UP THE PRESSURE, TIES CAREER HIGH IN STEALS
Sophomore Matee Ajavon recorded six steals, tying her previous career high of six, which she set on Feb. 10 at West Virginia. Ajavon also added a game-high six assists and chipped in 11 points.
FIVE SCARLET KNIGHTS SCORE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
In Rutgers’ 60-43 victory against Syracuse, each member of the starting five scored in double figures. Senior All-American Cappie Pondexter and senior Michelle Campbell tied with a game-high 13 points, while sophomore Matee Ajavon added 11 points and sophomore Essence Carson and freshman Kia Vaughn chipped in 10 apiece.
Official Basketball Box Score
Syracuse vs Rutgers
02/19/06 2:00 p.m. at Louis Brown Athletic Ctr; Piscataway, NJ
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VISITORS: Syracuse 9-15, 2-11
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
25 HARBUT, Tracy....... f 3-10 0-0 0-0 2 3 5 1 6 1 5 2 1 38
31 SMITH, Brittany..... f 2-5 0-0 0-0 3 2 5 2 4 0 0 0 0 19
14 SIPAVICIUTE, Vaida.. c 3-8 0-0 0-0 0 4 4 1 6 1 0 1 0 27
03 JOHNSON, Cintia..... g 2-4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 4 3 5 0 1 33
21 ECKHART, Jenny...... g 3-8 1-1 4-4 1 1 2 0 11 2 1 0 0 37
23 ADAMSON, Amanda..... 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7
32 NORTON, Jill........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
33 RILEY, Mary Joe..... 1-4 0-1 1-2 0 1 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 6
50 ANTOLICK, Sara...... 1-1 0-0 2-2 1 2 3 1 4 1 0 0 0 16
52 LAIMBEER, Keri...... 2-3 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 3 5 1 0 0 0 13
Team................ 1 2 3 2
Totals.............. 17-43 2-4 7-9 8 17 25 10 43 9 16 3 2 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 8-18 44.4% 2nd Half: 9-25 36.0% Game: 39.5% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 0-1 0.0% 2nd Half: 2-3 66.7% Game: 50.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-4 100 % 2nd Half: 3-5 60.0% Game: 77.8% 0
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HOME TEAM: Rutgers 21-3, 13-0
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
34 CAMPBELL, Michelle.. f 6-9 0-0 1-2 4 4 8 3 13 2 0 0 0 32
15 VAUGHN, Kia......... c 3-9 0-0 4-4 3 6 9 0 10 0 3 1 0 35
05 CARSON, Essence..... g 5-12 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 1 10 4 0 2 2 35
22 AJAVON, Matee....... g 5-11 1-2 0-0 2 1 3 4 11 6 4 0 6 36
25 PONDEXTER, Cappie... g 5-12 3-4 0-0 1 3 4 2 13 5 1 0 1 33
03 LOCKE, Courtney..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 5
12 ADAMS, Katie........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
20 REED, Tudy.......... 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
21 ZURICH, Heather..... 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 5
40 THRASH, Sammeika.... 1-1 0-0 1-1 1 1 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 6
42 THEODORIS, Mariota.. 0-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 5
TEAM................ 3 2 5
Totals.............. 25-60 4-7 6-7 18 20 38 12 60 19 10 3 9 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-32 43.8% 2nd Half: 11-28 39.3% Game: 41.7% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-3 33.3% 2nd Half: 3-4 75.0% Game: 57.1% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 4-4 100 % 2nd Half: 2-3 66.7% Game: 85.7% 1
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Officials: D. Crooks-Clauser, D. Allen, M. Lynch-Gadaleta
Technical fouls: Syracuse-None. Rutgers-None.
Attendance: 7398
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Syracuse...................... 20 23 - 43
Rutgers....................... 33 27 - 60
ID-399824
Michelle Campbell scores 1,000th career point
Points in the paint-SYRACUSE 12,RUTGERS 24. Points off turnovers-SYRACUSE 6,RUTGERS 27.
2nd chance points-SYRACUSE 14,RUTGERS 20. Fast break points-SYRACUSE 0,RUTGERS 4.
Bench points-SYRACUSE 12,RUTGERS 3. Score tied-0 times. Lead changed-0 times.
Last FG-SYRACUSE 2nd-04:15, RUTGERS 2nd-01:46.
Largest lead-SYRACUSE None, RUTGERS by 19 2nd-07:45.
