University of Connecticut Athletics
No. 10 Huskies Fall to No. 11 Rutgers, 76-62
2/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (February 13, 2005) - Junior Ann Strother (Castle Rock, Colo.) notched 20 points but was the only Husky to finish in double digits as the No. 10/10 University of Connecticut women's basketball team fell to No. 11/11 Rutgers by a score of 76-62 in a BIG EAST battle on Sunday evening at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J. The defeat snapped UConn's 12-game win streak over the Scarlet Knights that dated back to Feb. 10, 1998.
UConn is now 16-6 overall, with a 9-2 mark in BIG EAST games. Rutgers is 18-5, 9-2 vs. conference opponents.
The Scarlet Knights hit the ground running, opening the game with a 12-0 run in the first 4:44. UConn missed their first five field goal attempts until Charde Houston (San Diego, Calif.) made a jumper to put the Huskies on the board.
The Huskies battled back, including a 10-0 run in the middle of the first that saw UConn come within three points, 23-20, with 6:11 remaining in the half. But that was the closest Connecticut would come to catching Rutgers for the rest of the game. The Scarlet Knights then held UConn to just two more points in the half as the Huskies were plagued by 12 first-half turnovers. Rutgers finished the half on an 11-2 run to take a 34-22 lead into the intermission.
The 22 points scored in the first half, on 9-of-22 shooting, tied the UConn season low, while the 34 notched by Rutgers (14-of-27) tied the season high for most allowed by the Huskies in the opening half. The 12-point margin was the largest halftime deficit for UConn this season.
Rutgers maintained its lead in the second half, extending it early to as much as 17 at 39-22. The Huskies cut the lead to single digits a handful of times, with senior Jessica Moore (Palmer, Alaska) hitting a jump shot at 7:59 to bring the Huskies within five points at 52-47.
The Scarlet Knights responded with a 13-4 run, and would not allow UConn to get within less than 10 points for the remainder of the game. Rutgers registered 15 of their last 17 points from the free-throw line as the Scarlet Knights sealed their 76-62 win, only their second victory ever against the Huskies.
For the game, Connecticut shot 22-of-52 (42.3%), with a 7-for-21 three-point mark. Rutgers finished with 48.1% shooting from the field on 25-of-52. The Scarlet Knights shot 23-of-27 from the line with UConn going 11-of-15. The Huskies held a 33-30 edge in rebounds, but were hurt by 19 turnovers. Rutgers took advantage scoring 21 points off turnovers.
Strother finished with a team-high 20 points, hitting four three-pointers. Houston scored eight points with four rebounds while tying her season-high with four blocks. Senior Ashley Valley (Colchester, Vt.) led the team in rebounding (8) and assists (4) while notching five points.
Three Scarlet Knights scored in double-digits, with Chelsea Newton leading the team with 19 points. Cappie Pondexter tallied 18, while Michelle Campbell scored 13.
Connecticut will next travel to Washington, D.C. to take on Georgetown on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on CPTV.
GAME NOTES
* UConn is now 101-38 all-time vs. ranked teams.
* UConn is 44-4 in its last 48 road games.
* UConn is 4-5 vs. ranked teams this season.
* UConn is 66-4 in its last 70 BIG EAST games.
