 "Photo: Matt Moss/Staff Photographer")
UConn 67
Rutgers 51
HARTFORD, Conn. - The Rutgers women's basketball team will have to settle for just an outright regular-season conference championship.
UConn is back on top.
For the second consecutive year, the No. 9 Scarlet Knights advanced to the championship game of the Big East tournament and fell short, losing to No. 11 Connecticut in gut-wrenching fashion, 67-51 at the Hartford Civic Center last night.
"I think Connecticut wanted it more," Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "They played harder an d that was evident with the rebounding that took place. I don't know, we seemed to be a step slow and we just weren't able to get it done.
"I think they just played great and it's good for Connecticut because at this time of year you have to put it together...for whatever reason we didn't," she added. "I don't have an excuse."
The third-seeded Huskies captured their first conference title in two years, beating the top-seeded Knights for the second time this season - both wins coming at home.
The Knights are now 0-4 in conference finals, while the Huskies picked up their 12th Big East crown.
Rutgers is still a lock for the NCAA Tournament, and will likely receive a No. 2 or 3 seed. The tournament's bracket will be released on Sunday.
Rebounding was just one facet of last night's game that was grossly lopsided in the Huskies' favor.
In the rubber match between the two Big East powerhouses, it was UConn that played like the best the conference has to offer.
The Huskies opened the game with the first seven points en route to building a 20-point lead with only 11 minutes expired.
With the exception of a Matee Ajavon-induced 8-0 run at around the 13-minute mark in the first, the Knights were virtually silent.
Junior guard Ann Strother's 11 first-half points and five Jessica Moore rebounds, combined with the Knights' 9-of-26 shooting from the field, gave UConn the eventual 37-25 halftime lead.
After overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit against Villanova in the semifinals, the Knights could only hope to come out of the locker room and make some sort of run.
But the Huskies were able to bear down and hold off any Rutgers noise.
"I think it's something that we worked on a lot recently," Strother said. "In the past, [RU runs] have been something that have usually rattled us. I think it just shows a level of maturity from everyone on our team stepping forward and taking care of the ball."
The Knights opened the second half with a faster tempo, but only received scoring from Ajavon and Cappie Pondexter. RU was able to cut the lead to nine with 8:33 to play, but from that point on every time they got within 10 the Huskies would only pull away again.
With a little under three minutes to go, UConn missed two consecutive free throws. But with luck on their side, a strange carom put the ball right back in their hands.
Ajavon and Pondexter shot 40 of Rutgers' 57 shots and combined for 39 of its 51 total points - very uncharacteristic of a team that usually relies heavily on a balanced attack.
"That's not how we got here - that's how we lose," Stringer said. "In fairness to Cappie and Matee, the other people on our team didn't show up."
UConn pulled down 47 rebounds against 29 for Rutgers. The Knights amassed 21 personal fouls, and on the offensive end they connected on only 18 of 57 shots.
The biggest aspect of the Huskies' success was the performance of forward Barbara Turner.
The junior recorded 13 points and six rebounds against RU, and after the game was recognized as the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer. In the tournament, she led the Huskies in scoring with an average of 15.7 points-per-game.
"Our team fed off her motion and fed off the way she played," UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said.
Probably the only thing worse than the sight inside the arena was the one outside. The latest winter storm to cross paths with the Knights just proved to be salt in the wound.
Despite the fact that RU donned its white uniforms and was proclaimed the home team, the Huskies had the edge on their home court in front of their own fans, while the Rutgers cheerleaders and pep band were stranded in New Jersey.
But as far as Pondexter is concerned, none of that should matter.
"There's two teams that made it to the final. You have to want it," Pondexter said. "It's not a matter of home-court. It shouldn't even be about that, I mean, it's March Madness. You've just got to come and lay it out on the line no matter what."
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