Post by rainman on Feb 6, 2008 9:21:00 GMT -5
Rutgers shocks No. 1 UConn, 73-71
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Epiphanny Prince was too much for top-ranked Connecticut to handle.
Scoring inside and out, Prince took over in the second half, scoring 27 of her career-high 33 points as No. 7 Rutgers handed the undefeated Huskies their first loss, 73-71 on Tuesday night.
Prince was hard-pressed to come up with a better game in her career, even with a 113point scoring effort in high school on her resume.
“It means a lot to beat UConn,” the soft-spoken sophomore guard said. “I tried to spark us a little bit with defense.”
With her team trailing by nine, Prince scored 11 straight points in the second half to give Rutgers its first lead since early in the game.
“I don’t think her game was anything less than spectacular,” Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said. “She hit tough shots all night.”
Kia Vaughn added 14 points and Matee Ajavon had 13 for Rutgers (19-3, 9-1 Big East), which snapped Connecticut’s 34-game regular season winning streak. It was Rutgers’ first victory over a top-ranked opponent during the regular season since beating LSU on Jan. 5, 2005.
Renee Montgomery scored 24 points and Tina Charles added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Connecticut (21-1, 8-1). The Huskies, who were the last unbeaten team in Division I, last lost in the regular season to North Carolina on Jan. 15, 2007.
“We lost our composure,” Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said. “Plain and simple we played dumb at times.”
Despite losing 17 of the first 18 meetings to Connecticut, Rutgers is starting to even things out. The Scarlet Knights have taken five of the last eight meetings, including a victory in the Big East tournament championship last season.
Tied at 61 with 4:17 left, Essence Carson hit two free throws and Ajavon hit a 3pointer to give Rutgers a 66-61 lead with 2:50 left. After Montgomery’s layup cut the deficit to three, Prince answered with a jumper.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Epiphanny Prince was too much for top-ranked Connecticut to handle.
Scoring inside and out, Prince took over in the second half, scoring 27 of her career-high 33 points as No. 7 Rutgers handed the undefeated Huskies their first loss, 73-71 on Tuesday night.
Prince was hard-pressed to come up with a better game in her career, even with a 113point scoring effort in high school on her resume.
“It means a lot to beat UConn,” the soft-spoken sophomore guard said. “I tried to spark us a little bit with defense.”
With her team trailing by nine, Prince scored 11 straight points in the second half to give Rutgers its first lead since early in the game.
“I don’t think her game was anything less than spectacular,” Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said. “She hit tough shots all night.”
Kia Vaughn added 14 points and Matee Ajavon had 13 for Rutgers (19-3, 9-1 Big East), which snapped Connecticut’s 34-game regular season winning streak. It was Rutgers’ first victory over a top-ranked opponent during the regular season since beating LSU on Jan. 5, 2005.
Renee Montgomery scored 24 points and Tina Charles added 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Connecticut (21-1, 8-1). The Huskies, who were the last unbeaten team in Division I, last lost in the regular season to North Carolina on Jan. 15, 2007.
“We lost our composure,” Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said. “Plain and simple we played dumb at times.”
Despite losing 17 of the first 18 meetings to Connecticut, Rutgers is starting to even things out. The Scarlet Knights have taken five of the last eight meetings, including a victory in the Big East tournament championship last season.
Tied at 61 with 4:17 left, Essence Carson hit two free throws and Ajavon hit a 3pointer to give Rutgers a 66-61 lead with 2:50 left. After Montgomery’s layup cut the deficit to three, Prince answered with a jumper.
