SOUTH ORANGE - With 15:25 remaining in the first half, senior guard Chelsea Newton stepped onto the court last night.
The chants of "Let's go Chelsea" made it sound as if the Scarlet Knights were playing at home, rather than on the road.
Newton - who sat out the last two games due to a concussion she suffered against West Virginia - didn't upset the hundreds of Rutgers fans in attendance.
"I kept asking coach [C. Vivian Stringer] if I could go in," the senior guard said. "I was eager to get back out there and contribute."
When Stringer finally gave in and put Newton in the game, she had to be happy with what she saw.
Coming into the game, Newton was averaging 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Despite only scoring seven points on 3-of-5 shooting last night, the scrappy player made her presence known, grabbing three steals and causing havoc for the Pirates throughout her 21 minuets on the court.
"Chelsea brings the intangibles," Stringer said. "As soon as she goes in, you can just feel the energy level go up."
Newton - who for the first few minutes of the game could be seen pounding the floor and screaming directions to her teammates - looked as if she had no lasting effects from the concussion.
Banging the boards for rebounds, diving for loose balls, and going strong to the hoop, Newton hit the floor over 10 times.
Every time, though, she got up, smiled and directed the team as to what the next play would be.
Along with being one of the senior leaders on the squad, Newton has become the emotional leader as well. When on the court, it was easy to see the level of confidence and determination of her teammates rise.
"Chelsea is the type of player that gets her face in there all the time and pumps up the players around her," Stringer said. "That's the only way she knows how to play.
Hot Ticket
When the game ended, nearly all the fans remaining were wearing RU apparel and chanting "This is our house."
Becoming more and more of a fan favorite away from the Louis Brown Athletic Center, the Knights are now averaging nearly 4,800 fans at their away games, 800 fans more than they are attracting at the RAC.
Rutgers fans are beginning to take notice as of late as well, with 5,500 fans attending the West Virginia game two weeks ago and over 6,500 at the Syracuse game this past Sunday.
Last night's game marked the first sellout for the Pirates on the season, as they had only been averaging 400 fans per home game.
Guard Party
The three-headed monster of Cappie Pondexter, Nikki Jett and Matee Ajavon caused fits for the Pirates throughout the lopsided affair.
The trio combined for 33 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and seven steals.
Only blocks away from where she grew up and a large portion of the crowd cheering her every move, Ajavon led the way with a game-high 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Ajavon also tallied six assists on the game, with many being of the highlight-reel caliber passes.
"She doesn't waste her time," Stringer said in reference to Ajavon. "She plays to win and that's it."
Pondexter finished right behind Ajavon in scoring by tallying 12 points on 6-of-8 from the field, while dishing out five assists and pulling down four rebounds.
Suffocating "D"
Known for their defense, the Knights put on another defensive showcase against the Pirates.
Holding the Hall to only 34 percent shooting for the game from the field, RU allowed their second lowest point total of the season, with the first being 33 by Georgetown.
The 40 points scored by SHU was the squad's third lowest point total of the year and the lowest on their home court.
"This was the first team all year long that took us apart defensively," Seton Hall head coach Phyllis Mangina said.
New Jersey Bragging Rights
For the second consecutive year, the Rutgers women's team has Garden State bragging rights.
The Knights have won four straight against the Pirates and 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two squads.
RU holds the all-time lead in the series by a count of 24-7.
"I guess it is good for the school," Pondexter said. "They're a team that's in our way - which is to win the Big East regular season title. It's good to win in the state, though."
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