Rutgers Falls at No. 1/1 Connecticut, 75-56
Feb 03 | Women's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. – Rutgers held Connecticut to its lowest first half field goal percentage of the season but could not sustain a strong second half run by the Huskies as they remained unbeaten by defeating the Scarlet Knights 75-56 on Tuesday evening at XL Center. The contest is the first of two regular season match-ups for the rivals.
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(AP Photo/Bob Child)
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Sophomore Maya Moore led all scorers with 24 points while Kalana Greene had 17 and Renee Montgomery 15 for the Huskies (22-0, 8-0).
UConn jumped out to a 15-8 lead in the first six minutes but a three-pointer from Rushdan closed the gap to four on RU’s next possession. Montgomery had a 7-0 run of her own, finishing with a steal and eight-foot jumper in the paint to take a 22-11 advantage with 10:11 to go in the half.
Rutgers answered the spurt with one of its own by ripping off 11 straight points – the longest scoring run versus UConn this year. Senior Kia Vaughn (Bronx, N.Y.) keyed the run, tying the game at 22-22 with 6:09 on the clock. Vaughn tallied six straight, eight in total and Rushdan added a three from well beyond the three-point arc to knot the game. That would be as close as RU would get.
The Huskies responded with four consecutive, capped by a pair from the free throw line by Greene to move to 26-22. Prince drained a three to pull RU to 26-25 on its next play. UConn answered with six consecutive to take a 32-25 edge before Rushdan connected on her fourth triple of the half to make it a five-point game. Montgomery hit two from the free throw line with 9.5 seconds to go in the half to give the Huskies a 34-28 lead at intermission.
UConn, which shot 31 percent in the first half, commenced the second half by making five of its first six shots. The Huskies used a 14-4 run in total to pull ahead by 16 points (48-32) with 15:36 remaining. The lead ballooned to 57-37 after Moore registered seven straight on her own. RU closed to 15 points with just over three minutes to play but could not gain ground on the nation’s top team.
RU was the first opponent to post a rebounding edge over UConn this season, 38-33. The Scarlet Knights had 25 turnovers as the Huskies responded with 24 points off the miscues.
The Scarlet Knights are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 7 entertaining Georgetown at 2:00 p.m. at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
POSTGAME NOTES
Quick Hits
*The Scarlet Knights held their 60th straight opponent under 50 percent shooting from the field.
*Rutgers dropped its fifth BIG EAST game for the first time since the 2003-04 season when the Scarlet Knights finished league play 10-6.
Stingy D
Rutgers held Connecticut to its lowest shooting percentage in any half this season in the first stanza. The Huskies shot 31.6 percent from the field, but still managed to hold a 34-28 halftime lead. For the game, UConn shot 40.0 percent, its second lowest output of the season. The Huskies season-low came against Penn State when they shot 37.7 percent.
Off and Running
Rutgers’ 11-0 run in the first half was the largest run recorded against UConn this season. The largest spurt of the season registered by Rutgers occurred on Nov. 18 when the Scarlet Knights rattled off 19 straight points against Princeton.
Rushdan Finds Scoring Groove
Redshirt freshman Khadijah Rushdan exploded for a career-high 18 points, including 12 in the first half. The guard shot 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range. She also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, falling just one board shy of her first career double-double.
D From Three
Redshirt freshman Khadijah Rushdan hit a career-high four three-point field goals, all in the first half. Her prior career-best came against Marquette on Jan. 18, 2009 when the guard was a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
Allowing Points
Connecticut’s 75 points were the second most scored against Rutgers this season, only bested by Stanford’s 81 (Nov. 23, 2008). UConn’s 41-point second half was the fourth best scoring half against the Scarlet Knights this season.
Chucking It
Connecticut attempted 60 shots in their victory over Rutgers. The 60 attempts were the third most against Rutgers this season. Temple managed to fire 66 shots and Notre Dame got off 63 attempts this season.
Points Off Turnover
The Scarlet Knights got beaten 24-4 in points off turnovers. The 20-point margin ties the largest margin of the season. Stanford held a 20-0 advantage on Nov. 23, 2008. UConn also held a 15-0 edge in fast break points.
Dominated in the Paint
UConn held a 32-20 lead in the paint against Rutgers. The 12-point margin was the largest of the season against the Scarlet Knights. It was only the seventh time all season that a team beat Rutgers in the paint.
