HARTFORD, Conn. - The Rutgers women's basketball team has practically been an enigma this season.
For all the flashes of brilliance that the Scarlet Knights have sprinkled through their victories, every single loss seems to paint their schedule with shades of uncertainty.
This, however, could have been the game to put that all to rest - the perfect opportunity to prove that everything is back on track.
But by the time Rutgers even had a chance to swallow yesterday's 72-47 loss at No. 4 Connecticut, head coach C. Vivian Stringer was already making apologies.
"I just feel so sorry for ESPN," she said in reference to the game's national telecast - yet another wasted opportunity to validate her team's talent. "I think that they believed that they were going to get a better game. And given us being healthy, we could have [given them that]. But we didn't"
Judging the Knights' performance of late is a puzzling task. Just one week after upsetting the likes of No. 18 Ohio State and No. 16 Virginia Tech, Rutgers (9-7, 2-3) suffered a pair of critical blows, losing close away games to both Villanova and Syracuse - both of which were a winnable.
In this light, yesterday's game appeared to be something of a litmus test. After all, the Huskies - once seen as indestructible - were 3-2 in their last five games and Rutgers, in the past, had always seemed to thrive in similar situations.
This time would prove different, though.
With the Knights only able to muster a single field goal over the first nine minutes of the game, UConn (13-2, 3-1) stormed out to a 17-point lead with 6:09 remaining in the first half.
Backed by the stellar play of All-American guard Diana Taurasi - who scored 16 points in the opening stanza - the Huskies shot 53 percent from the field (14-26), pulling away with a 40-17 halftime lead.
"It was definitely frustrating," said Cappie Pondexter, the Knights' own All-American. "A lot of our players were tired and down-and-out. We just couldn't get anything going."
That, in effect, translated to the worst half that Rutgers has seen all season. The Knights shot just 26 percent from the floor, sinking only 8-of-30 shots.
"It was an off-night," said Pondexter, who managed to finish the evening with a team-high 13 points. "I think I shot 6-for-24. That's a lot of missed shots."
And a lot of opportunities that UConn was happy to run away with.
After opening the second half with a 13-6 run, the Huskies expanded their lead to as many as 35 points over the last 10 minutes of play.
When all was said and done, Taurasi had totaled 27 points - including a seven-of-nine clip from behind the three-point line - and UConn had exorcised any ghosts that may have been lurking over the past week.
Rutgers' plight, however, has only been building. The Knights were forced to play yet another game with an undermanned staff - only eight players dressed for action - and a mid-game injury to the already-hampered Chelsea Newton may trouble the situation even further.
All of this, of course, goes without mentioning the Knights' busy upcoming schedule - one that begins tomorrow night with a make-up game against Temple.
"I would be so grateful if there was snow. Really. I'm not kidding," Stringer said, referencing the team's lack of rest recently. "I'm being as honest as I can...We've been playing one game after another. It seems like we haven't stopped. It's been difficult because when we tell them to work harder, how much harder are they able to work?"
But whatever the case, the players at least are optimistic.
"I'm not worried at all," Pondexter said. "UConn's a top-five team. We just have to continue to work and not give up. I think we'll be fine. It's not the end of the road."
KNIGHT NOTES: The 17 points Rutgers amassed in the first-half were the fewest allowed by the Huskies in an opening stanza this season...As per usual, a total of 16,294 fans were in attendance at the Hartford Civic Center to witness the game. The total marked the 26th consecutive sellout at the arena - a rare feat in women's basketball.
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