Rutgers to Play Dartmouth in NCAA Tournament First Round
Mar 13 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - The No. 9/9 Rutgers women’s basketball team (25-4, 16-0 BIG EAST) has received a three seed for the 2006 NCAA Tournament and will take on 14th-seeded Dartmouth (23-6, 12-2 Ivy League) in the first round Sunday, March 19, in Trenton, NJ.
In the other first-round game of the Cleveland Region in Trenton, sixth-seeded Texas A&M (23-8, 11-5 Big 12 Conference) will face 11th-seeded TCU (18-11, 11-5 Mountain West Conference). The winners of these two first-round games will face each other in the second round Tuesday, March 21. Game times and television coverage will be announced later this week.
This marks RU’s fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament, and eighth berth in the last nine years.
Rutgers is 25-4 overall and 16-0 in the BIG EAST this season following a 56-40 upset loss to upstart West Virginia in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals March 6 in Hartford, CT. The Scarlet Knights are ranked ninth by the Associated Press and ninth by the WBCA/ESPN/USA Today in the March 13 national polls. Rutgers saw its 13-game winning streak snapped by the Mountaineers, but the Scarlet Knights won their second straight outright BIG EAST regular-season title this season with a perfect 16-0 mark.
Leading the Scarlet Knights is fifth-year senior and All-American Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL), who is tied for sixth (March 7) nationally with 21.5 points per contest, adding 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game this season. Named the WBCA National Player of the Month for January, the 5-9 guard was the unanimous choice as the BIG EAST Player of the Year, becoming the first player in league history to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team four times during her career. Also a selection to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team (22.5 ppg), she is a finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy and the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, is a member of the national ballot for the Women’s Wooden Award and is one of 10 candidates for the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard). Pondexter was a frequent member of preseason honor lists this fall, earning first-team All-America accolades from the Associated Press and Women’s Basketball News Service, second-team All-America mentions from Gballmag.com, Lindy’s and Athlon Sports, and a spot on the Street & Smith’s “Terrific 10” Preseason All-America Team.
Sophomore 5-8 guard Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ), the 2005 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and a member of this season’s All-BIG EAST First Team, is contributing 11.8 points and a team-high 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game. Sophomore 6-0 guard Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ), the 2006 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-BIG EAST Second Team, is adding 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest, while senior 6-2 forward Michelle Campbell (Princeton, NJ), the 2005 BIG EAST Most Improved Player, is chipping in 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Freshman 6-4 center Kia Vaughn (Bronx, NY), the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year, is posting 6.1 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game.
Rutgers returned nine letterwinners and four starters from last season’s team that posted a 28-7 overall record and a 14-2 mark in BIG EAST play, winning its first outright BIG EAST regular-season title and advancing to its second consecutive BIG EAST Tournament championship game. Rutgers reached the Elite Eight of the 2005 NCAA Tournament and finished seventh in the final WBCA/ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll.
Post-Selection Quotes
Head Coach C. Vivian Stringer on the bracket
“We’ve always said that if you want to be the best, you have to play the best. Now that everything is all set I’m ready to get to work and go play. I think the team that comes out of this bracket will be the most well prepared to win a national championship.”
Matee Ajavon on the draw
“The best thing we can do right now is just to prepare for Dartmouth. We played a tough schedule in one of the best conferences in the country, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be prepared to take on the teams that will be in front of us.”
Kia Vaughn on playing in her first postseason
“I’m really happy we’ll be in Trenton, and if we go out and play the kind of defense we’re capable of, everything else will take care of itself. This is a whole new season. It seems like the regular season went by very quickly, it’s almost a blur to me. Now it’s one and done – this is what it’s all about.”
Michelle Campbell on playing in Trenton
“It will be great that our fans can travel there. Although it won’t be the same as playing at the RAC, they’ll make it a home court advantage for us. As a senior, I’m happy that I’ll have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament in front of friends and family and former coaches. I would have played anywhere, but I’m glad we’re going to Trenton.”
