 "Photo: Anastasia Paranicas/Senior Photographer")
Tonight's contest against No. 25 Boston College will be the last chance for the No. 9 Rutgers women's basketball team to play on its own court, looking to extend its stellar home record to a perfect 13-0 on the year.
It will also mark the last time the team's three graduating seniors will get the chance to play at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in their collegiate careers.
The Scarlet Knights will honor the three departing players - Chelsea Newton, Nikki Jett, and Rebecca Richman - at the "Senior Night" ceremony before the game.
The trio has made a resounding impact on the team in their Rutgers careers, with RU compiling a 72-46 record so far in the last four seasons.
Newton - a steady contributor since her freshman season - has battled through countless injuries in her Rutgers career to establish herself one of the Knights' scrappiest and most aggressive players. She is averaging 9.3 points-per-game and 3.8 rebounds-per-game as a senior, while adding 53 steals and 59 assists on the year.
But no statistic can describe Newton's trademark hustle and the refreshing energy she brings to the court every game. Her gutsy performances have resulted in a number of injuries and setbacks, including a concussion earlier this year that forced her to sit out two games, but in spite of all of that she has emerged as a true leader by example.
"Chelsea Newton makes me uncomfortable, but that's what we missed," head coach C. Vivian Stringer said after the first UConn contest, the first game Newton sat out. "She is the guts of our team."
Newton's teammate and fellow senior in the back court, Jett was a redshirt her junior year, allowing her to return for the 2004-2005 season. Jett is one of the five Knights to play in every game this season, averaging 6.3 points-per-game, including a team-leading 27 three-pointers.
Rounding out the group is Richman, who has truly emerged as an inside presence in recent games.
In the team's last outing against Notre Dame, she was called upon to help find answers to Jacqueline Batteast's offensive pressure and she delivered. Richman was integral in holding the All-American to 3-of-14 shooting from the field which proved to be a significant difference in the game.
"Rebecca did very well today," fellow forward Michelle Campbell said after the Notre Game game. "She handled the big girls very well... she helped us out a lot, because it's so hard to shoot over her."
Richman is the team leader in blocks with 26, and in the last two games she has been the leading rebounder as well.
The team's fourth senior, All-American guard Cappie Pondexter, announced in a Sunday press-conference her decision to hold off on the WNBA for the time being and return to the Banks for one more academic year. Pondexter maintains one more season of eligibility because she did not compete as a freshman.
Rutgers (20-5, 11-2) enters tonight's game as winners of five-in-a-row and seven of their last eight, including a 59-48 win against Notre Dame on Saturday. The senior attack of Newton and Pondexter posted a combined 27 points, while Campbell notched 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals in the win.
The leadership and experience of her four seniors, along with the other upperclassmen, are what Stringer feels has molded her team into the success story it has become.
"To me, this is a veteran team," Stringer said earlier in the season.
The Eagles are also coming off a win, in which they trounced Seton Hall by a count of 71-44. Freshman Shamika Jackson led the scoring with 15, while Brooke Queenan and Clare Droesch each added 14 in the victory.
In the last contest between Rutgers and Boston College, it was all RU in the 71-60 Knights victory. Pondexter turned in a season-high 27 points and the Knights jumped out to an early 15-2 run in the first. The Eagles turned the ball over five of their first seven possessions.
The Knights will look to exit the RAC in winning fashion and complete the season sweep of BC in tonight's game, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. They will then finish out the regular season with two road games before the post-season gets underway.
"This group hopefully knows now what they've got to do," Stringer said a
KNIGHT NOTE: This week in Rutgers basketball has revolved around Cappie Pondexter for more reasons than just her decision to rejoin the team in 2005-2006. She is this week's Big East Player of the Week after averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds per game in the seven-day stretch and was named one of ten finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given each year to the nation's best point guard. She was also chosen as one of 30 Division I women's basketball players to be nominated as mid-season candidate for the 2004-05 Naismith National Player of the Year award.
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