Rutgers Routs Cincinnati 85-43
Feb 03 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Five players scored in double figures as the Rutgers women's basketball team cruised to an 85-43 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The Scarlet Knights have won nine of their last 10 and 11 of their past 13 games.
The Scarlet Knights (14-6, 7-2 BIG EAST) saw nine of 10 players on its roster score at least two points. RU finished the day shooting 63.5 percent (33-of-52) from the floor, a season-best and the highest field goal percentage since Nov. 29, 2005 (64.4 percent versus Bethune Cookman). RU reached season-bests in assists (21) and fewest turnovers (9).
All five starters scored in double digits for the first time since February 19, 2006, in a Rutgers' win over Syracuse. Junior forward Essence Carson (Paterson, N.J.) registered a game-high 18 points, including knocking down three 3-pointers. Sophomore center Kia Vaughn (Bronx, N.Y.) recorded her seventh double-double of the season, adding 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Freshman guard Epiphanny Prince (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in 16 points, including tying a season-best with four triples. Sophomore forward Heather Zurich (Montvale, N.J.) and junior guard Matee Ajavon (Newark, N.J.) each tallied 11 points and a combined nine assists.
The 43 points scored were a season-low for Cincinnati (12-10, 3-7 BIG EAST). Rutgers has held eight of its last nine opponents to its lowest point productions of the year.
"I think we needed to come out establish some things in today's game like being intense on the defensive side and executing offensively," head coach C. Vivian Stringer said after the game. "It wasn't about Cincinnati; it was about the fact that there was an opponent, period. And I like the fact that it was Cincinnati because of the style and the kind of fight that they demonstrated with Connecticut. And, with that said, I think that we became really serious, got real low, and played great defense."
With the game knotted at 5-5, the Scarlet Knights erupted on a 12-2 run to lead 17-7 with five different players accounting for at least a field goal. Prince, who scored five during the run, capped the scoring with a pair of free throws at the 12:56 mark. The Bearcats closed to eight (19-11) on pull-up jumper by freshman Carla Jacobs with 10:51 left in the half.
Prince responded on the next possession with a triple from the top of the key to commence a 24-2 spurt for Rutgers. Prince hit three trifectas during the scoring spree while Ajavon kicked in eight points, including two fast break lay-ups.
Ajavon knocked down two from the charity stripe to conclude the run and give RU a 28-point advantage (41-13). After five-straight points from the Bearcats, freshman guard Brittany Ray (Bronx, N.Y.) came off the bench to hit a jumper and push Rutgers to a 45-18 advantage at the halftime horn. Rutgers, who shot a sizzling 67.9 percent in the first half, scored 26 points off 15 Cincinnati turnovers.
The Scarlet Knights picked up where they left off, starting the second stanza on a 13-2 run. Carson hit a triple 20 seconds in and Zurich drilled a baseline jumper on the next possession to pull Rutgers ahead, 50-18, with 18:31 to play.
Carson scored five-straight points, first hitting a triple, followed by a lay-up on an assist from Prince to put the Scarlet Knights ahead, 63-22 with 13:55 showing. Cincinnati couldn't close the gap as the Scarlet Knights led by no fewer than 36 points from that point on.
"There have been plenty of times when we have been up at halftime and then kind of let our guard down and let the other team come back into the game," Carson noted in the post-game press conference. "So, right now our focus is playing 40 minutes of basketball. Not 35, not 30, not 39 because that last minute can be very crucial, and the last couple of games we have been playing 40 minutes of basketball and that's what we need to do to make it even further."
POSTGAME NOTES
WITH THE WIN'?
With the 85-43 win against Cincinnati, the Scarlet Knights move to 14-6 on the season, and 7-2 in the BIG EAST. RU has now won 11 of its last 13 games and nine of its last 10. Rutgers improves its record against the Bearcats to 2-0.
BREAKING RECORDS'?
Rutgers tallied 45 points in the first half, the most scored in a first half since Nov. 20, 2004. The Scarlet Knights scored 47 points versus Rider en route to a 90-42 victory. RU held its largest lead at the half with a 27 point difference, breaking the previous record of 22 recorded against Georgetown on Jan. 16.
With their 42-point victory, the Scarlet Knights posted their largest margin of victory on the season. They registered a 30-point win over Georgetown on Jan. 16.
Rutgers notched season highs in three team categories: field goal percentage, assists and fewest turnovers. The 63.5 percent clip is the best this season, topping the previous-best versus Florida (.596) on Nov. 18, 2006. RU had 21 assists, surpassing the 18 recorded three times this season. The nine turnovers are the least this winter, bettering the 10 at DePaul on Dec. 7.
The 63.5 percent shooting performance is the best for an RU team since a 64.4 percent effort versus Bethune Cookman on Nov. 29, 2005.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE
With 16 points and 10 rebounds, Kia Vaughn recorded her seventh double-double of the year, the tenth in her career. She also cracked the top five on the list for career blocks, with 129.
STARTING FIVE SEE DOUBLE
All five starters scored in double-digits for the first time this season. The starting five reached double-digit status on Feb. 19, 2006 versus Syracuse. Three of the five in that contest included current players Essence Carson, Matee Ajavon and Kia Vaughn.
It is the third time, five players recorded double-figures in a game for RU. DePaul on Dec. 7 and versus Ole Miss on Dec. 12 were the other two contests.
FROM THREE-POINT LAND
Freshman Epiphanny Prince tied her season and career-best with four three-pointers made. Also, the Brooklyn, N.Y. product tied her three-point field goals attempted with six. Essence Carson has drained nine of her 18 total three-point field goals in the last three games. She went 3-of-5 this evening and has shot 9-of-16 (.563) over the past three showings.
INCHING CLOSER TO 1,000
Junior Matee Ajavon scored 11 points, placing her just 20 points away from breaking into the Rutgers women's basketball 1,000 point club.
TALE OF SIX
Today's win over Cincinnati marked the sixth time this season Rutgers lead wire-to-wire. In addition, it was the sixth contest the Scarlet Knights recorded double-digits in steals (12).
LOW, LOW, LOW
The Scarlet Knights defense held the Bearcats under their season average in shooting. Cincinnati shot 37.0 percent from the field, and 17.6 from three-point range (43.3 and 30.3 were the respective averages going into the contest).
Cincinnati's 43 points were the lowest of the season for the Bearcats. RU had led eight of its nine opponents to their lowest point productions of the season.
HONORING WOMEN ATHLETES'?
Rutgers honored National Girls and Women in Sports Day by acknowledging the Rutgers women's sports teams. The teams were brought onto the court during halftime while the fans cheered to show their appreciation.
