NCAA SECOND ROUND: UConn
Mar 22 | Women's Basketball
| NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND: No. 8 Rutgers at No. 1 UConn | |
| Date | Monday, March 23, 2015 |
| Time | 9:00 p.m.(ET) |
| Location | Gample Pavilion |Storrs, Conn. |
| Tickets | Purchase Tickets |
| TV | ESPN2 Bob Wischusen and LaPhonso Ellis |
| Radio | Rutgers Sports Radio Network (1450 AM) Danny Breslauer Rutgers Student Radio - WRSU (88.7 FM) James Stumper and Chris Morales |
| Game Notes | Rutgers| UConn |
| Statistics | Rutgers| UConn |
| Social Media | @RutgersWBB | Facebook/RutgersWBB  |
VIDEO: Second Round Press Conference| VIDEO: First Round Postgame Celebration
TIP OFF:
* The Scarlet Knights advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament following a 79-66 victory over in-state and former BIG EAST rival Seton Hall.
* Eighth seeded Rutgers advances to play top-seeded UConn, a former BIG EAST and American Athletic Conference rival. It will be the second meeting of the two schools in the NCAA Tournament and first as nonconference members.
* Kahleah Copper and Tyler Scaife both dropped in a game-high 21 points in the victory over the Pirates on Saturday. For Scaife, she became the third Scarlet Knight this season to reach the 1,000 career point milestone.
* Betnijah Laney also captured her 20th double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
RUTGERS VS. UCONN - LAST TIME
Rutgers and UConn last met in the 2014 American Athletic Conference Tournament . The fourth-seeded Rutgers women's basketball team fell to top-seeded and defending national champions Connecticut in the semifinals by a score of 83-57.
American Freshman of the Year Tyler Scaife got Rutgers onto the scoreboard, but it was already after the Huskies had established a 13-0 lead three minutes into the game. By the half, Connecticut had a sizeable 50-19 lead.
The Scarlet Knights, who shot only 28.1 (9-of-32) in the first half, shot immensely better in the second half, going 15-of-13 for 48.4 percent from the floor in the second stanza. The second half also included a 9-0 surge by the Scarlet Knights, holding the Huskies scoreless for a span of nearly four minutes.
Ultimately, UConn captured the win as all five Huskie starters finished in double-digits.
Rutgers outscored the UConn bench, 25-5, led by redshirt sophomore Briyona Canty with her team- and then- career-high 16 points. Canty went 7-of-11 from the floor and a perfect 2-of-2 from the line as one of three Scarlet Knights in double figures. Sophomore forward Kahleah Copper and Scaife each contributed 12 in the loss.
All five Connecticut starters finished in double digits led by American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Breanna Stewart, with 22 points. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added in 19 points, while Stefanie Dolson contributed 15.
SERIES:
The Huskies have won 13 consecutive games against the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers defeated UConn, 55-47, in the 2007 BIG EAST Tournament Final to claim the title.
The Scarlet Knights last win over the Huskies was on February 3, 2008 at UConn with a 73-71 victory. Ephiphanny Prince, who recently was traded to the New York Liberty from the Chicago Sky for fellow Rutgers standout Cappie Pondexter, had a stellar second half included 27 of her 33 points. She also added h six steals, six rebounds, and perfect 11-of-11 shooting from the free-throw line. The guard shot 50-percent from the floor in the comeback.
ALL-TIME RUTGERS WINNER
Head coach C. Vivian Stringer won her 400th career victory "On The Banks" at Houston on Feb. 11, 2014. Stringer needs three more wins to surpass Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz as RU's all-time winningest women's basketball coach.
All-Time Rutgers WBB Coaching Records (By Wins)
Theresa Grentz - 434-150/ (1977-95) 19 seasons
C. Vivian Stringer - 432-215/(1995-present) 20 seasons
Ellen Johns - 6-5/(1974-75) One season
Dottie McCrea - 5-9/(1975-76) One season
GETTING TO THE POINTS
Rutgers is enjoying its highest scoring average under C. Vivian Stringer's 20-year tenure "On the Banks"
Top RU Scoring Averages Under C. Vivian Stringer
1. 70.0 (35 games) 1998-99 - 29-6 - Elite Eight
2. 69.2 (32 games) 2014-15 - 23-9 - Current Season
3. 68.7 (32 games) 1997-98 - 22-10 - Sweet 16
4. 67.3 (29 games) 2002-03 - 21-8 - 2nd Round
5. 66.2 (37 games) 2013-14 - WNIT CHAMPIONS
6. 65. 6 (31 games) 2000-01 - 23-8 - 2nd Round
Four or more Scarlet Knights have reached double figures in a game in 11 of RU's 32 contests to date.
TRIO OF 1,000 POINT SCORERS
Tyler Scaife became the 36th Scarlet Knight to score 1,000 career points with her game-high 21 points in the first round victory over Seton Hall Scaife becomes the third Scarlet Knight, joining Betnijah Laney and Kahleah Copper, to reach the milestone this season.
LONG RANGE
The Scarlet Knights went 7-of-13 from three-point range against Seton Hall on Saturday, the most three-pointers by the team since draining eight against USF on 2/26/2013. It was RU's fifth game of the year with five or more made shots from downtown in a game.
Rutgers shot 53.8 percent from long range marking the seventh game shooting .500 or better from beyond the arc this season.
Betnijah Laney finished 4-of-6 from downtown. Her four made three-point field goals were a career-high. Her previous high was two - captured on three different occasions in her four-year career.
BETTING DOUBLE
Senior forward Betnijah Laney has 20 double-double performances this season, including 17 points and 12 rebounds in RU's NCAA First Round victory over Seton Hall. Laney has 35 double-doubles in her career. The senior forward had an incredible game against #6 UNC on Dec. 4 with a career-tying 24 points and career-high 24 rebounds.
The Clayton, Delaware native captured 15 double-doubles last season, the most double figure scoring and rebounding games since Kia Vaughn, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, had 12 double-doubles during the 2006-07 season.
SHINING COPPER
In conference play, Kahleah Copper led the Scarlet Knights at 17.4 points per game.
Copper has scored in double figures in all but four games this season and has had 20+ point performances in four of the last six contests and five of the last eight contests.
In the NCAA First Round game with Seton Hall, Copper poured in 21 points.
In the final five games of the regular season, she averaged 20.8 points per contest.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Tyler Scaife, last year's American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, is averaging 14.8 points per game.
Scaife has reached double figure scoring in 54 of her 68 career appearances and has led RU in scoring 10 times in 2014-15.
Scaife is averaging 15.6 points per game against nationally ranked opponents this season, which also included a season-high 28 points against No. 21 Minnesota and 25 points in the Scarlet Knights' double overtime contest with No. 6 UNC.
CLEANING THE GLASS
Rutgers has won the battle of the boards in 20 of its 32 games to date.
Betnijah Laney, who led RU in rebounding at 8.5 boards per game last season, has not missed a beat and is hauling in 10.9 rebounds per game in 2014-15.
Laney had 17 double digit rebounding efforts last season and has posted double figure rebounds in 21 of her 31 appearances this season.
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-RU-
