To a follower of the Rutgers women's basketball team, the sight of senior guard Chelsea Newton on the ground is an all too familiar one.
The senior leader and emotional backbone of the No. 8 Scarlet Knights is the consummate scrappy player -- the first to throw herself on the floor if there's even a glimmer of a chance to get the ball or make something happen.
"Chelsea is the soul of this team," Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "The fire of this team goes through her."
But as the second half was just getting underway at the Louis Brown Athletic Center yesterday, a hard screen from WVU freshman Chakhia Cole tied Newton up. It dropped the senior to the floor in the middle of traffic.
The crowd of 5,000-plus was silenced as Newton lay motionless on the court, with several more seconds elapsing before the Knights could finally gain possession and stop the game.
"It wasn't just a Chelsea fall, because Chelsea always gets up," Stringer said. "She wasn't moving."
The game was halted for a 15-minute span before Newton was put in a neck brace and left the court via stretcher.
A team official reported that Newton was diagnosed with a mild concussion and strained neck muscles. Her status is listed as day-to-day.
The life appeared to be sucked out of both squads and the tempo of the game changed dramatically as the Knights turned the ball over three straight times once the game resumed.
"As a team we had to get the intensity level back up," senior guard Cappie Pondexter said. "When you've got a man down, everybody has to step up."
The Knights eventually returned to form and finished the game in control, even without the edge and energy of Newton.
For Stringer, the injury is just another roadblock her team will have to overcome, and hopefully Newton will be able to rejoin the squad in time for more upcoming Big East play.
"I don't think a thing in the world can be thrown at this team," Stringer said of her resilient squad. "We may bump our heads on the way down but we get up."
All in the Family
West Virginia guard Meg Bulger is the younger sister of St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who set 25 school passing records in his own tenure with the Mountaineers.
The WVU sophomore is currently the Big East's leading scorer and stands at sixth in the nation with her 20.6 points per game entering Sunday's contest.
Last year's Big East Freshman of the Year, Bulger was selected as a preseason All-American second team candidate prior to this season.
She went 7-for-12 shooting for a team-high 19 points against the Knights.
Scaling the Mountain
After conceding an early bucket following the opening tip, Rutgers went on a torrid 21-0 run to begin the game, forcing 12 consecutive West Virginia turnovers and holding the Mountaineers scoreless for more than 12 minutes.
Only three WVU players entered the scoring column in the first half.
Home Sweet Home
The Knights remain perfect at home, raising their record to 9-0 at the RAC.
They are also outscoring opponents by an average margin of 24.3 points per game while forcing 22 turnovers a contest on the Banks.
Staying in Control
In the last two games, the Knights have found a way to stay in front of opponents. They never trailed against Boston College last Wednesday, and after WVU scored the initial two points, the Knights held the lead for the game's entirety. In those games, they have only trailed for a total of 18 seconds.
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