Rutgers Women's Basketball Wins Fourth Straight
Jan 13 | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Freshman guard Epiphanny Prince (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led three players in double-figures as Rutgers posted a 62-50 win over in-state rival Seton Hall in women's college basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Walsh Gym. Junior forward Essence Carson (Paterson, N.J.) and freshman Brittany Ray (Bronx, N.Y.) added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Scarlet Knights (9-5, 4-1 BIG EAST) closed the contest on a 12-0 run over the final 5:48 of play to take the victory, its fourth straight. The four-game win streak is the longest of the season for Rutgers. Seton Hall falls to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in league play.
After trailing 35-34 to start the second half, the Scarlet Knights reversed the lead and took a nine point edge (48-39) on a coast-to-coast fast break lay-up from Carson with 15:00 to play. The Pirates chipped at the lead and took advantage of RU's poor shooting, tying the contest at 50-50 on lay-up from Monique Blake with 5:48 remaining. The Scarlet Knights went without a field goal for over 10 minutes (10:37), scoring their points from the free throw line over the period.
Carson put RU ahead to stay on the next possession, draining the first of two from the stripe and Ray ended the field goal drought with a runner off the glass with 4:21 showing. Vaughn secured the lead on the next possession, converting a three-point play to give the Scarlet Knights a comfortable cushion, 56-50 with 3:19 on the clock.
In a role reversal, Seton Hall missed its last six field goal attempts of the game and committed six turnovers as Rutgers scored the game's final 12 points. Vaughn earned all three of her blocks and collected three of her 10 rebounds the last 4:47 of play.
Tied at 4-4 early, Prince commenced a 8-0 run with an old-fashioned three-point play and concluded the surge with a floater in the lane to push RU ahead, 12-4 with 13:41 showing in the first half. RU took a 10-point advantage (16-6) following a lay-up from Prince, who scored seven of the team's first 16 points.
SHU slowly chipped at the advantage, closing to 21-19 on a jumper in the lane by Monique Blake. Rutgers reeled off the game's next seven points as a lay-up from Myia McCurdy, a triple by Brittany Ray and a pair from the charity stripe from Prince gave the Scarlet Knights a 28-21 lead with 6:26 left in the half.
The Pirates caught up, tying the game at 30-30 on a three-pointer by Nicole Emery and took a one-point edge into the locker room following a jumper from Ela Mukosiej as time expired.
Vaughn finished just shy of a double-double, scoring nine points and posting her ninth game of the season with double-digit rebounds (10). Prince, who scored in double figures for the 13th time in 14 games, tallied five steals on the afternoon. She has recorded at least two steals in 12 of 14 games.
The Scarlet Knights are next in action on Tuesday, January 16 when they host Georgetown at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
