PITTSBURGH, Pa. - After scoring a season-low 15 points in the first half, it appeared there was reason for concern.
With only one game remaining until the Big East Tournament, the No. 9 Rutgers women's basketball team struggled mightily throughout the first 20 minutes against the far-inferior Pittsburgh Panthers, shooting only 21.9 percent from the field.
The poor offensive performance marked the continuance of the struggles that have been present for the past few games for the Knights. The second half, however, saw a resurgence of the RU offense and a more relieved Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer.
"This is one of those games that I'm glad is over," Stringer said. "I just couldn't understand why we weren't scoring."
Only a game after shooting 33 percent from the field against Boston College, the Knights couldn't buy a basket in the first half, as they trailed for much of the opening stanza. Although Rutgers attempted 32 shots - six less than the Panthers had for the game - they were unable to reach double-digits as a team until the 7:46 mark in the first half.
The second half proved to be a different story. Tallying 48 points - six more than Pittsburgh had for the entire game - RU raced out on a 21-6 run and never looked back.
As a whole, the squad shot 55 percent in the final 20 minutes and finished with three players scoring in double digits.
"As a team, we knew what we had to do," senior guard Cappie Pondexter (9 points) said. "Coach didn't have to say anything to us because we knew what we had to do to turn it around."
Dominant Force
With the team struggling to find a hot shooter, junior forward Michelle Campbell stepped up and took over the game.
"I thought the first half was intense against a very good team," Pittsburgh head coach Agnus Berenato said. "The second half, they just physically manhandled us down low."
With the larger Pittsburgh forward Marcedes Walker covering Campbell in the first, Campbell struggled, scoring only five points and grabbing four rebounds. After a shoulder injury to Walker, the Knights' top post player simply dominated inside.
Campbell led the way, finishing the contest with a double-double and shooting 7-13 from the field, leading to 17 points and 11 rebounds. It was her 18th double-double of the season.
Quiet Time
Having an average of over 4,000 spectators at its games thus far this season, it was quite different a scene for the Knights in the Steel City. The Panthers, who are averaging only 1,419 fans per home game, attracted only 945 fans - a very generous number - to its senior night.
With a majority of those fans donning scarlet caps and sweatshirts, the first 20 minutes of the game could have been mistaken for a mortuary due to the poor play of RU.
When the second half began with the Knights' 21-6 run, the RU faithful arose from its seats and let themselves be heard, making it sound like a Knights homegame.
One-sided Affair
With the 21-point victory, RU has now won 10 consecutive matchups against the Panthers and has not lost since January 1, 1998 when they dropped a 66-56 decision. Rutgers has dominated the all-time series against the Panthers 18-2.
"They kept it on," Berenato said. "Rutgers is a great team and they always compete its hardest.
Pitt Stop
After their victory over the Panthers, the Knights have collected their most wins since the 2000-01 season - including postseason games - when they captured 23 wins. The most wins by an RU team in a season is 30, which came in the 1986-87 season.
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