MISSION STATEMENT
With 42 seconds remaining, Villanova gained its first lead of the game, at 57-56, when Katie Davis hit a three-point field goal. Rutgers regained the lead 17 second later with a lay-up by sophomore point guard Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL). Villanova had one last chance to win the game, but time expired before the Wildcats could attempt a shot against the Rutgers pressure defense.
Pondexter ended the game with 23 points, marking the fourth consecutive game she has tallied at least 20 points in a game. It was the sixth consecutive game that a Rutgers player has scored at least 20 points in a game. Sophomore Chelsea Newton (Monroe, LA) added 10 points and five rebounds, while senior Mauri Horton (Minneapolis, MN) chipped in with eight points and six rebounds.
Rutgers started the game strong, taking its largest lead of the game with 11:28 left in the first half (18-4). Villanova stormed back and cut the lead to three (24-21) with 3:59 left after going on a 17-6 run of its own. The Wildcats were able to get within two at the half, as Rutgers went into the locker room with a 28-26 lead.
The Wildcats were able to stay close behind their stellar three-point shooting. The team made 12-of-24 (.500) three-point field goals in the game, while RU did not have a single attempt. Trish Juhline led Villanova with a season-high 27, as she made 4-of-5 (.800) from three-point range. The Scarlet Knights were aided by their 14-of-17 (.823) free-throw shooting.
Rutgers will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 18, at No. 21/20 Notre Dame. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.
POSTGAME NOTES
Turn it over
The Rutgers defense came out strong, holding the Wildcats scoreless until the
15:58 mark. Villanova, who averages 10 turnovers per game, had six in the first
half. VU finished with 10 this evening. RU is forcing opponents to turn the
ball over 17.3 times per game. The nine turnovers that Rutgers committed were
the least amount since giving up eight at Texas Tech on Jan.2.
The Line
In the first half, the Scarlet Knights held a perfect free-throw percentage,
going 8-for-8 (1.000) from the line. In the second half, the team continued
its streak, not missing a free throw until 10:44 in the second half. The team
was 6-9 (.667) in the second half and 14-17 (.824) overall.
On the run
Matching the strong effort on the offensive end was a 14-2 Scarlet Knight run,
going from the start of the game until 12:15 left in the first half.
Down at the half
The 28-26 Rutgers halftime lead made it the second time this season that Villanova
has gone into the locker room trailing. Villanova has only trailed at the half
one other time this season, when they finished the first half 27-25 against
UPenn on Dec. 4, 2002. The Wildcats went on to win that game by 11 points, with
a final score of 65-54.
Down, but not out
The first time that Villanova tied was with six minutes to go in the second
half. The Wildcats only led once (57-56 with 42 seconds to play). The lead lasted
17 seconds, until Cappie Pondexter hit a lay-up to make the final score 58-57.
Cleaning the glass
The Scarlet Knights outrebounded the Wildcats 30-22; Mauri Horton led the team
with six. RU is 7-1 when outrebounding its opponent, averaging 36.3 per game
to its opponents’ 30.8.
The big 2-0
Cappie Pondexter’s 23 points was her fourth consecutive 20-point game
and the sixth consecutive game that Rutgers has had a 20-point scorer. Last
time RU had a 20-point scorer in six consecutive games was Jan. 15 – Feb.
2, 1994.
Absence of Threes
This is the first time under head coach C. Vivian Stringer that a Scarlet Knights
did not attempt a three-point shot in the duration of the game since the 3-point
rule started in.
Upset City
The last time Rutgers beat a ranked team was Feb. 17, 2001, 54-53 vs. #1/1 Notre
Dame at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The last time the Scarlet Knights beat
a ranked team while unranked was March 16, 1998; 62-61 at #24 Iowa State in
NCAA Tournament second round.
Marginal victory
The one point victory (58-57) is the smallest margin that Rutgers has won by
this season. Rutgers has won by more than ten in six of its eight wins. The
other game under a ten-point margin was a 56-49 win at California on Nov. 24.
Official Basketball Box Score
Villanova vs Rutgers
01/15/03 7:30 pm at Louis Brown Ath. Center; Piscataway, NJ
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VISITORS: Villanova 12-2, 3-1
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
04 DAVIS, Katie........ f 2-7 1-3 2-2 0 6 6 2 7 3 2 0 0 38
40 JOHNSON, Jeanine.... f 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5
52 DRUCKENMILLER, Nicol c 2-4 2-3 0-0 1 0 1 2 6 0 1 0 0 26
11 JUHLINE, Trish...... g 11-20 4-5 1-1 2 1 3 0 27 4 2 1 0 40
23 MIX, Courtney....... g 0-4 0-2 2-2 3 1 4 5 2 4 3 1 1 32
03 McMANUS, Betsy...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
21 REDIGER, Jana....... 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 12
25 HILGENBERG, Jennifer 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 10
31 DESSART-MAGER, Kate. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
33 VIANI, Jenna........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
42 NASH, Kelly......... 5-11 5-11 0-0 0 0 0 1 15 0 0 0 0 31
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 20-49 12-24 5-5 9 13 22 16 57 12 10 2 3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-25 40.0% 2nd Half: 10-24 41.7% Game: 40.8% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 4-8 50.0% 2nd Half: 8-16 50.0% Game: 50.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 2-2 100 % 2nd Half: 3-3 100 % Game: 100 % 0
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HOME TEAM: Rutgers 8-4, 2-1
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
00 HURNS, Shalicia..... f 1-4 0-0 2-3 1 2 3 1 4 0 1 0 2 34
32 NEWTON, Chelsea..... f 4-10 0-0 2-2 0 5 5 2 10 1 2 0 2 37
15 HORTON, Mauri....... g 4-8 0-0 0-0 3 3 6 2 8 1 1 1 0 40
25 PONDEXTER, Cappie... g 10-14 0-0 3-4 0 3 3 2 23 2 1 0 0 40
35 McCULLOUCH, Dawn.... g 3-8 0-0 3-4 2 2 4 2 9 0 1 0 2 35
03 LOCKE, Courtney..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 9
34 CAMPBELL, Michelle.. 0-0 0-0 4-4 1 0 1 1 4 0 2 1 0 5
TEAM................ 3 3 6
Totals.............. 22-44 0-0 14-17 10 20 30 10 58 4 9 2 6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-25 40.0% 2nd Half: 12-19 63.2% Game: 50.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 0-0 0.0% 2nd Half: 0-0 0.0% Game: 0.0% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 8-8 100 % 2nd Half: 6-9 66.7% Game: 82.4% 2
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Officials: Mark Zentz, Tom Danaher, Angela Crawford
Technical fouls: Villanova-None. Rutgers-TEAM.
Attendance: 2112
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Villanova..................... 26 31 - 57
Rutgers....................... 28 30 - 58
Villanova ranked #19 by AP, #25 by ESPN/USA Today
