NCAA Tournament Bound
Mar 16 | Women's Basketball
NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET | NCAA TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers women's basketball team is dancing to the 2015 NCAA Tournament as the number eight seed taking on ninth-seeded Seton Hall in first round action in Storrs, Connecticut.
The contest between the two in-state rivals is set for Saturday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN 2. The winner between the Scarlet Knights and Pirates will advance the winner between top-seeded Connecticut and No. 16 St. Francis Brooklyn in second round play on Monday, March 23.
Former Big East rivals, the first round match-up is rematch of last season's third round WNIT match-up in which the Scarlet Knights defeated Seton Hall 91-79 in a double overtime thriller.
Rutgers overcame an eight-point deficit with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. As Seton Hall led, 60-52, Rutgers scored nine unanswered points to set up a dramatic finish to regulation.
Betnijah Laney (Clayton, Del.) knocked down two free throws with a minute to go to pull her squad within one, 60-59, and with 11 seconds left in regulation, she hit a jumper in the lane to give the Scarlet Knights the lead. After Laney's bucket gave RU a 61-60 lead, Seton Hall wasted no time in inbounding the ball and racing down court, where Ka-Deidre Simons found a gap to give the Pirates a 62-61 advantage with only five seconds remaining.
Briyona Canty (Willingboro, N.J.) was fouled at mid-court with just .2 seconds left and headed to the line. Missing the first attempt, Canty's second free throw was good and forced overtime with the two schools knotted at 62-62. For Canty, who finished with eight points, it was her only score of regulation.
After Rutgers raced out to a 72-66 edge with 1:54 left in the first overtime, Seton Hall held the Scarlet Knights scoreless for the remainder of the stanza and racked up six unanswered points to send the game into double overtime. A Tabatha Richardson-Smith layup with 15 seconds remaining tied the game up at 72-72, the contest's 11th tie of the night.
The second overtime was all Rutgers, as the Scarlet Knights outscored the Pirates, 19-7, for the win. RU denied Seton Hall a field goal until the game's final minute, while the Scarlet Knights were clutch from the free throw line, hitting 13-of-14. Laney went a perfect 6-of-6 while Canty shot 4-of-4 from the stripe during the second OT.
Three Scarlet Knights finished the game with at least 20 points, led by a career-high 29 from Tyler Scaife (Little Rock, Ark.) off the bench and a double-double by Laney. Scaife went 12-of-24 from the field after coming off the RU bench and was a perfect 5-of-5 at the line. Copper, meanwhile, added in 27 points, including a 13-of-15 night from the line.
RU outrebounded the Pirates, 51-44, with Rachel Hollivay (Columbus, Miss.) collecting a game-high 14 boards in the win. The center also swatted away eight Seton Hall shots, one short of her career-high.
Seton Hall was led by Richardson-Smith with 28 points, while Ka-Deidre Simmons chipped in 16 points and Alexis Brown netted 11 in the loss.
Saturday's meeting with Seton Hall will be the 42nd meeting between the two New Jersey teams.
Rutgers, the 2014 WNIT Champions, is making its 24th NCAA appearance and first since 2012.
NCAA Tournament Finishes
Number of NCAA Appearances: 24
NCAA Tournament Record: 35-23 (.603)
First Round: 6 (1990, 1991, 1994, 2004, 2010, 2012)
Second Round: 6 (1989, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2011)
Sweet Sixteen: 4 (1988, 1998, 2006, 2009)
Elite Eight: 5 (1986, 1987, 1999, 2005, 2008)
Final?Four: 2 (2000, 2007)
NCAA?Final: 1 (2007)
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-RU-
