 "Photo: Onnie Koski/Photographery Editor")
At this point in its schedule - with only one regular-season game left to play - there is perhaps one thing the Rutgers women's basketball team needs more than anything else:
A little time away from it all.
"We just need to rest. It's the truth, we're really beat," head coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "I know I haven't been this tired in a long time. Everybody is tired. I wish we could just stop for three days, but we need to remember that we can't take off and just keep putting one foot in front of the other."
After tonight, the Scarlet Knights have five days before their next game, as they have already guaranteed themselves a first-round bye in this weekend's Big East tournament.
The hard part, though, will be getting to that point.
The Knights will face off against the Villanova Wildcats tonight at 7:30 at the Pavilion in Villanova, Pa., and a win will knock all other teams out of first place in the Big East and secure sole possession for RU.
"We want to win the Big East, something never done before by a Rutgers team," Stringer said. "There's a lot of pride in that, and a lot to be said for it. We've worked hard enough, so why give up now?"
No. 9 Rutgers (22-5, 13-2) goes into Villanova as winners of seven straight, but its last few outings haven't reflected a team that is looking to win its conference and move onto the NCAA tournament in a few weeks.
RU leads the all-time series 15-8, but Villanova has played the Knights tough in recent years, winning four of the last six contests, including a 53-49 win a year ago. The last six games between the two have been decided by a slim margin of 4.3 points-per-game, and three of those have been decided by only one point.
"I am concerned," Stringer said of the game against Villanova. "We've got to remember how it is we win and that's with aggressive defense, especially at the full court level. We have to stay relaxed. ... Villanova is the best executing team we've seen next to BC."
The 17-9 Wildcats saw their five-game winning streak come to a screeching halt with a 62-60 loss to Georgetown last game.
They're led by sophomore forward Jackie Adamshick's 13.4 points and 6.3 rebounds-per-game. Junior forward Liad Suez follows with a 13.2 point average. They are two of Villanova's six players who stand at 6-feet or above.
"We must remember that Villanova enjoys playing smaller," Stringer said. "They have a system of play that can mess us up. We will get anxious but we have to be patient."
RU will look to execute for two halves the way it was only able to do for one against Pittsburgh. The Knights will have to count on their defense, which Cappie Pondexter referred to as the team's "bread-and-butter," as well as steady performances from the leaders in order to keep the Wildcats, No. 4 in the Big East, in check.
"Our starters have to take control of the game more, especially offensively," senior guard Chelsea Newton said after the Pitt game. "But defense is where we get our energy from. If we play [defense] well, we play the game well."
The Knights are still led by Pondexter's 13.2 points per game, with Matee Ajavon adding 12.4 points and a team-high 3.4 assists per game. Junior forward Michelle Campbell, who was the hero for the Knights against Pittsburgh with her sixth career double-double, is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 5.9 boards-per-game.
In the last few contests, Pondexter has been shut down by a box-and-one defense that has limited her ability to find open shots and take over games. The Knights will look to counter the threat by asking other players to step up should Villanova follow in the footsteps of the other teams that have deflated her attack.
"She was on fire at first and then cooled down," Stringer said of Pondexter's recent struggles. "We've worked on executing patterns to free her up. Also, Chelsea Newton needs to be ready to step up. Nikki Jett needs to take shots which she has been deferring, and Matee [Ajavon] needs to be more patient to keep Cappie in her flow."
But Stringer is confident in her team's ability to surmount any kind of defensive attack that the Wildcats throw at them. And as long as the other pieces fall into place, she anticipates seeing her Knights finish the season with eight wins in a row and as the first women's basketball team at Rutgers to capture the Big East regular season title.
"It all comes down to those 40 minutes," Stringer said. "We've got to lay it all on the line."
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