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  Friday, Mar. 17 8:35pm ET
Rutgers withstood first-half barrage
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Once No. 8 Rutgers got Anna Kinne under control, beating Holy Cross was easy.

Stopping Kinne just took a lot longer than anyone expected.

Rutgers withstood a first-half barrage in what was a career game by Kinne and then blew the game open with a 26-4 second-half run in beating Holy Cross 91-70 Friday night in the first round of the NCAA women's tournament.

"We knew the first three minutes of the second half are crucial in determining a basketball game," said Rutgers point guard Tasha Pointer, who led the game-breaking run with eight points. "We figured if we could jump on them the first three minutes it would help us get over the hump."

Usha Gilmore had 14 points, Shawnetta Stewart 13 and Pointer 11 as the second-seeded Scarlet Knights (23-7) advanced to a matchup here on Sunday against 10th-seeded St. Joseph's (25-5), which beat seventh-seeded Texas 69-48.

"Good teams make the NCAA tournament and they come out and play hard for 20 minutes," Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "What separates good teams from better teams is the ability to play hard for 40 minutes and that's what we did."

Rutgers' 21-point margin of victory doesn't show how much of a scare the 15th-seeded Crusaders (23-7) and Kinne, who had a career-high 28 points, gave their Big East Conference opponent.

"Anybody who is associated with Holy Cross and is not proud right now should have their head examined," coach Bill Gibbons said.

Even Rutgers fans were impressed with Kinne, the Patriot League player of the year. The spunky 5-foot-6 guard hit 6-of-7 3-pointers and scored 19 points in the first half in keeping Holy Cross within 41-37.

However, Rutgers didn't give her any looks at the basket in the final 20 minutes, finishing 9 for 12 from the floor.

"The girl was just staring me in the face," Kinne said of the adjustment Rutgers made defensively. "I don't know if it was a triangle and two or whatever, but they definitely stepped up their pressure."

The Scarlet Knights ended the Crusaders' upset hopes by turning up the defense and scoring the first 12 points of the second half to lead 53-37 with just over 15 minutes to play.

Pointer had six points in the initial 12-0 spurt and eight in the game-winning run. Gilmore added six and Stewart had four in the run.

Rutgers hit 11 of its first 15 shots in the final 20 minutes. Holy Cross made 2-of-9 from the field to start the second half and had six turnovers.

"They upped the intensity but I also thought the key in the second half was they made some shots," Gibbons said. "They made shots, and kids that usually don't make shots or who weren't making shots in the first half made shots in the second. With a team like that you can only take away so much."

The Scarlet Knights opened eight-point leads three times in the first half, but each time Kinne hit a bomb.

Jeanette Paukert added 15 points for Holy Cross.
 


ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard

Holy Cross NCAA Team Report

Rutgers NCAA Team Report