Rutgers Upsets No. 3/3 Maryland in Jimmy V. Classic
Dec 03 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -Sophomore Epiphanny Prince (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 15 of her game-high 22 points in the second half to lead No. 4/6 Rutgers to a 68-60 win over No. 3/3 Maryland in the sixth annual Jimmy V. Women's Basketball Classic at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Monday evening.
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Epiphanny Prince steals the ball against Maryland. (Photo by Jim O'Connor/NJ Sport Pics) |
Prince added a career-best 10 assists for her third career double-double. She tallied seven rebounds and two steals in the victory. Seniors Matee Ajavon (Newark, N.J.) and Essence Carson (Paterson, N.J.) netted 15 points apiece and Kia Vaughn (Bronx, N.Y.) tallied eight rebounds, going up against one of the nation's premier frontcourts.
Forward Marissa Coleman led Maryland (10-1) with 17 points and 11 rebounds. She was joined in double figures by Kristi Tolliver with 15 and National Player of the Year candidate Crystal Langhorne with 11. The Terrapins shot just 5-for-23, a 22 percent clip, in the second half and did not record a two-point bucket in the stanza in surrendering their ten-point halftime lead.
The score was knotted on eight occasions and the lead changed hands four times.
The Scarlet Knights scored the first four points of the second half to shrink the deficit to six just minutes in. A triple from Coleman followed by a free-throw by Laura Harper extended Maryland's lead back to 10 with 12:56 to play. Prince jumped in with a pair of three-pointers within a 30-second span to cut the advantage to one (46-45) with 7:29 to play.
Rutgers would build a five-point lead of its own, 55-50, after Prince was fouled on a backdoor cut and knocked down both free throws with 3:13 left.
The Scarlet Knights continued their tough defense late in the game, forcing the Terrapins into costly turnovers. Vaughn grabbed a big defensive rebound after a missed three-pointer and was fouled, making the first of two at the stripe to increase the RU lead to 63-57 with 1:01 to go.
Coleman was fouled on a three-point attempt with 22 seconds left, and made all three of her shots from the line to make it a four-point game. The Scarlet Knights capitalized on late trips to line, pushing it back to six on a free throw from Carson with 13 seconds left. Guard Marah Strickland missed her attempt at Maryland's end and Prince came up with the rebound, sending the outlet to Carson. The senior traveled coast-to-coast for the easy lay-up, sealing the eight-point win.
Rutgers managed the comeback despite late foul trouble with Vaughn forced to stay on the bench with four fouls for much of the second half with sophomore Rashidat Junaid (Chesilhurst, N.J.) filling in admirably. Ajavon fouled out with 22 seconds remaining in the game.
Maryland shot 62 percent and was 6-of-7 from the line in the first half to build the comfortable 33-23 lead. The Terps took their first lead of the game, 10-8, on a jumper from Coleman with 11:32 to go in the first. With the score knotted at 20, the game's seventh tie to that point, Toliver nailed a long three at the 4:10 mark to push Maryland ahead. The play sparked a 9-0 Terps run to increase the lead to 30-20 with 2:38 left.
The teams battled on the glass, each posting 34 rebounds. The Scarlet Knights forced the Terrapins into 20 turnovers. Rutgers registered 21 assists in its 27 field goals.
RU had not faced the Terrapins in nine seasons before Monday night. It was the first loss of the season for Maryland, which had reached the 10-win mark before any other team in women's college basketball this season.
Rutgers will travel to Durham, N.C., to face Duke Thursday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., before competing in the Maggie Dixon Classic Saturday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. against Army at Madison Square Garden.
COACH C. VIVIAN STRINGER QUOTES
On Maryland:
"I said to the team, they are playing the best basketball of any team in the country. They looked normal today. They are extremely talented and disciplined. They are a great team and every player is legitimate in their own. I don't need if I have seen a team this year that is as smooth as they are. I think our team as good as Maryland is on offense that we really reign supreme when it comes to defense. Even though we are small and we need to rebound, we got it done. I am extremely proud of the way our team played."
"This team (Maryland) is very unique in its match-up. (Crystal) Langhorne has been by most definitions, one of the best two centers in the country. She is tight with her moves. I have the utmost respect for her. Maryland has 6-4 Laura Harper and our counter to that was (6-1) Heather (Zurich) who is not 6-4 and not a power player like Harper. I thought the team did a great job of doubling down and we played our game."
On play of Epiphanny Prince
"She played extremely well though the first couple of games this year and then she started to hesitate. I think in the game we lost this year she made statement that when she scores a lot, we lose. I didn't know if she was feeling bad or what psychologically was happening and I didn't care for the way she was playing last couple of games. All we wanted her to do was play, not think and do her own think.. I have been trying to get across to her the importance of driving and then I started emphasizing passing into the post. We do know how to win, its not we don't know how to drive or pass into the post but I wanted her to make good decision and good reads. We took and got what we saw and that was the key."
On play of reserves
"It was particularly exciting to see Rah (Junaid) play the way she did, to see Myia (McCurdy) play well. I think it establishes that in these type of games that when they can play significant minutes- which they did - we are not just five, we are more. We can put eight or nine in. When we play more people it gives us more depth and versatility. We are going to need that lift with all the great teams we have coming up. We only have really one day to practice tomorrow (before Duke on Thursday)."
This game was low-point of last season, a 40-point loss to Duke. A year later '?
"Ah, that's right. (laughter). I feel better than I did after we lost to Stanford. When you consider the intensity of the LSU and Stanford games and now Maryland you realize this nation has some fine basketball teams. It really does. It speaks for us because it should help us confidence-wise. I think our fans were great and they supported us. It should help us position-wise because the nation got a chance to see it and so perhaps, they know maybe this Rutgers Scarlet Knights team is legitimate. The think we need to guard against is we can step up and play in spite of the competition. It is nice to see us step up today."
"I do have a headache tonight. I bet some coaches after games can sit back and have dessert after dinner, I have meat and potatoes and I struggle back to work again. I can't relax. I do know when I am relaxed, they are. And maybe I need to work on that. This is a different group, trust me when I tell you that."
POSTGAME NOTES
Rutgers vs. Maryland:
No. 3 Maryland is the highest ranked opponent to fall at the RAC since Rutgers defeated No. 1 LSU 51-49 in overtime on Jan. 5, 2005. The game also marks the highest ranked opponent Rutgers has defeated since a 53-52 win over No. 1 Duke in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 24, 2007.
With the victory, Rutgers improves its overall series record against Maryland to 11-17. It was the first meeting since Rutgers won 81-61 in College Park, Md., on Dec. 22, 1998. The Scarlet Knights have now won three-in-a-row in the series.
Comeback Kids:
Rutgers trailed by 10 points on three separate occasions during the game, marking the largest deficit the team has faced all season. The previous highest deficit was five, in the first half against Stanford on Nov. 9, 2007.
The 10-point half time deficit marked the first time this season Rutgers has trailed at the half. The last time the Scarlet Knights faced a half-time deficit was against Tennessee in the National Championship game on April 3, 2007.
Rutgers' win marks the largest deficit they have been able to overcome since they trailed Duke by 10 en route to a 53-52 victory in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 24, 2007.
Defense is Key:
The Scarlet Knights held Maryland well below their season average of 81.2 points per game. The 60 points scored was the lowest point total for Maryland since they scored 57 in a loss to Duke on Feb. 18, 2007.
Holding on to the Ball:
Rutgers turned the ball over only nine times, marking the fewest turnovers they have had in a game since they had six in a 55-47 win over No. 2 Connecticut in the BIG EAST Championship game on March 6, 2007.
It's Cold Outside:
The Terrapins did not hit a single two-point basket in the second half, relying on three-pointers and free-throws for their scoring. They were 0-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-14 from three-point range.
Scoring Knights:
Rutgers had three players in double-figures for the fourth time this season. Sophomore Epiphanny Prince (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 22 while seniors Essence Carson (Paterson, N.J.) and Matee Ajavon (Newark, N.J.) each scored 15. For Carson it marked the 50th time of her career she has scored in double-figures. The Scarlet Knights are 3-1 when three players score in double figures.
A Game Fit for a Prince:
Prince set a new career-high with ten assists. Her previous high was eight set in an 88-71 win over Florida on Nov. 18, 2006.
The 22 points Prince scored was a season high, eclipsing the mark of 21 she posted against Stanford in the first game of the season. This was the fifth time in her career she has scored more than 20 points.
The game marked the third time Prince has posted a double-double. Her previous two double-doubles came when she had double-figures in rebounding.
Prince's effort marked the first time a Rutgers player had a double-double in points and assists since Matee Ajavon finished with 18 points and 13 assists in an 82-48 NCAA Tournament win over TCU on March 21, 2006.
Playing as a Team:
The Scarlet Knights had 21 assists against Maryland, a season-high. Their previous season-high for team-assists was 19, set against Creighton on Nov. 16, 2007.
RU assisted on 77.7 percent of its field goals with 27 field goals on 21 assists.
