 "Photo: Anastasia Paranica/Staff Photographer")
Syracuse 61
Rutgers 69
As if she needed another milestone to talk about, C. Vivian Stringer walked onto the court yesterday afternoon as head coach of the Rutgers women's basketball team for the 300th time in her career.
The Scarlet Knights were able to secure the win for her, bouncing back from a disheartening loss to the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies and knocking off unranked Syracuse by a tally of 69-61.
RU entered yesterday's contest as winners of 10 of its last 13 and still boasting its impressive unbeaten streak at home. The Knights have posted a 24-3 all-time record against the Orange, including last year's 61-45 trouncing at The RAC.
Both sides opened the game with some fresh faces, as Syracuse started three freshmen and the Knights saw regular starter Michelle Campbell joined by all four of the team's rookies for the opening tip.
Stringer's shake-up made this the seventh different lineup the team has started this season.
"That's just what Coach wanted to do," Campbell said of the freshman foursome. "They deserved it. They've worked hard."
The Knights won the tip and opened the scoring with a Campbell bucket. But an outpouring of turnovers and poor shot selection spelled a sour first half on offense, as RU shot an abysmal 1-for-12 from beyond the arc in the contest.
"We just shot too many threes," Stringer said. "It's something we had to address [at halftime]. We have to be more of an assists team."
But the Knights found reprieve in their usual insurmountable full court press, which resulted in a handful of SU's 26 turnovers.
"Give Rutgers credit," Syracuse head coach Keith Cieplicki said. "We had 26 turnovers and they were the other team out there."
The Knights found themselves trailing in the waning minutes of the first half, but a late 6-0 run capped by a Michelle Campbell lay-up with two seconds remaining gave Rutgers a 20-19 lead at the halfway point - the low score a result of shots simply not falling for either team.
"We just tried to keep the defensive intensity up," senior guard Cappie Pondexter said. "It was a very scrappy game for both teams."
Both teams entered the locker rooms with nearly identical lines and during the course of the opening stanza there were four ties and six lead changes - with neither squad able to break through and take control early.
"We didn't jump on them right from the beginning," Campbell said. "We should've jumped on them a lot more than we did. We just know that we have some things that we do need to work on next time around."
The second half saw a more energized Knights squad, despite getting into early foul trouble.
They began building on the one-point halftime lead and never trailed again. Leading by only three with just over seven minutes to play, RU took off on a 14-5 run, sparked by three Pondexter free throws and Syracuse's inability to produce answers to Rutgers' baffling press.
Pondexter settled into her rhythm in the second half, collecting 17 of her 21 points, leading all scorers. Campbell put home 18 points, while freshmen Essence Carson and Matee Ajavon chipped in nine a piece, helping produce another balanced scoring effort for the Knights.
Carson led the Knights in rebounds with eight, while Pondexter and Ajavon combined for nine assists.
Two consecutive Pondexter jumpers brought Rutgers' lead to 10, and an Ajavon three-pointer - the only shot RU sank from downtown all day - gave the Knights a 12-point lead, the largest on the day, with just over four minutes to play.
The Orange were led by freshman Jessica Richter's 17 points, including four from three-point range. Richter's 10 boards secured her the double-double.
Syracuse shot two times better from the field in the second half than the first, but the 67-percent effort wasn't enough to boost them past the Knights.
Coming off the disappointment at UConn, execution was a definite point of focus for Rutgers.
"Bouncing back is very important, especially if you see yourself as a great team," Pondexter said. "You have to make adjustments and understand the importance of winning next time."
Pondexter's 21 points against the Orange elevated the All-American to 13th place on the Knights all-time scoring list.
The Knights are now 16-5 (7-2) on the year, with seven regular season games to play. That includes rematches with UConn and Syracuse in the next two weeks.
"We've got seven games left," Stringer said. "We can win all of those games. We just have to stay healthy and go at it."
The Knights will look to make it two-in-a-row when they travel up the New Jersey Turnpike to take on the Seton Hall Pirates for a 7 p.m. start time Wednesday night.
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