 "Photo: Anastasia Paranicas/Senior Photographer")
After years of waiting, the Rutgers women's basketball team finally received the extra lift needed to propel itself over the mountain - the mountain named UConn.
The Scarlet Knights used big scoring from Chelsea Newton, Cappie Pondexter, and Michelle Campbell to pick up the 76-62 victory over Connecticut Sunday. It was the first time the Knights accomplished the feat since 1998 and only the second time they've done it in history.
Now, with the Huskies out of the picture for the rest of the regular season - and the Knights in the thick of their Big East schedule - Rutgers looks to make it four straight against conference rivals when its travels to take on Syracuse at the Manley Field House tonight.
The win over UConn elevated RU - winners of 13 of its last 16 - to an 18-5 record overall (9-2 in the Big East). This week's AP poll places the Knights in the No. 10 spot, moving them past the Huskies after the victory.
RU took care of the ball on its end against the Huskies, committing only 11 turnovers while forcing 19 out of the opposition. The Knights came through from the free throw line as well, converting for 23-of-27 foul shots.
The Orange have dropped four in a row - and their last 14 against ranked opponents.
Rutgers faced off against unranked SU (11-12, 3-9) just 10 days ago at the Louis Brown Athletic Center - a 69-61 RU win.
The margin of victory, however, was closer than head coach C. Vivian Stringer would have liked to see between her then No. 11 Knights and the Orange, owners of a losing record.
"We're going to have to defend ourselves when we play them next," Stringer said after the first Syracuse game. "We're going to have to jump on them...this should not have been a contest."
That day, the Knights let the Orange hang around for too long, shooting a microscopic 27-percent in the first half. Pondexter was the game's big player-maker, with her explosive showing on the offensive end proving to be the difference for the Knights. Pondexter posted 21 points, five assists, and five steals on the day.
Junior forward Campbell added 18 points and six rebounds, but SU's freshman guard Jessica Richter answered with 17 points and 10 boards of her own. A defensive sputter on the part of Rutgers allowed Syracuse to convert for 67-percent of its second half shots.
"We know we have to go back to the first order of business, our defense," Pondexter said after the UConn game. "We have to go back to defense and buckle down. We know it's not over."
Although the Knights are lucky to be riding the momentum train into tonight's game, there are five games remaining in the regular season and every game - no matter who the opponent - has bearing on the team's post-season position.
"We still take it just one game at a time," Newton said. "We've been playing well together in practice, but on any given day anything can happen."
Matee Ajavon, this week's Big East Freshman of the Week, leads the team in scoring with 13 points-per-game and 3.3 assists. Campbell's 12.5 points and 5.8 rebounds follow her, while Pondexter has averaged 12.7 points.
Tonight's game will mark Syracuse's second of three straight games against top-25 teams.
In its last outing, SU allowed No. 22 Boston College to shoot 51-percent from the field in a 75-50 loss. The Orange were led by Richter's 14 points, while Rochelle Coleman and Vaida Sipaviciute followed with 12. The performance marked Sipaviciute's sixth straight double-figures effort, tying her for the school record.
This game will again place Ajavon against another of the Big East's star freshmen, this time in the person of Richter. She has already registered 231 points and 101 rebounds in 23 games, and is third in the Big East in scoring among rookies.
In the all-time series between the teams, Rutgers has a sizeable 25-3 advantage, including 9-3 when playing at Syracuse. In spite of that - and last week's RU win - Syracuse head coach Keith Ceplickie is confident in his team's chances going into the home stretch of the season.
"This is February in the Big East," Ceplickie said. "Who knows what can happen."
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