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Saturday, Nov. 27 7:30pm ET
Good defense saves Rutgers | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Even when its offense goes stone cold, Rutgers (No. 7 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 8 AP) always has defense, and that's what beat Wisconsin (No. 25 AP). Tasha Pointer hit an off-balance shot in the lane with 38 seconds to go and Rutgers rallied from six points down in the final 3:06 to beat Wisconsin 63-61 on Saturday night in the Coca-Cola Classic. "In the four years I've been here that is the greatest team effort," Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "We've played at times before, but we used just about everybody we had and everybody gave everything they had." Pointer, who would add a foul shot with 28 seconds to play after being fouled following a Wisconsin turnover, led Rutgers (2-1) with 16 points. Tamara Moore had 19 and Jessie Stomski 13 for Wisconsin (2-1), which almost stole the game with a 17-2 run late in the second half. Pointer's basket on a scoop shot was the last of only three in the final 11:22 for Rutgers, and it gave the Lady Knights a 62-61 lead. "Actually (the defender) went for the pump fake, but she did not jump into me," said Pointer, who was 6-of-10 from the field. "So I had a clear look at the basket. I was just reacting to what she gave me." Pointer's free throw stretched the lead to two points, but she was called for a lane violation after making a second, giving Wisconsin a last chance. However, Dee Pate turned the ball over with about two seconds to go, preventing a final shot by Wisconsin, which also got 11 points apiece from Nina Smith and LaTonya Sims. The Badgers had stunned the crowd at the Rutgers Athletic Center as Stomski scored seven points in a 17-2 spurt that gave them a 57-51 lead with 4:07 to play. Wisconsin still led 59-53 after two free throws by Smith with 3:06 to go, but Rutgers rallied, using a free court pressure to catch the Badgers. "Their quickness and aggressiveness make it a great press," Wisconsin coach Jane Albright said. "It's everything you want a press to be. We can't simulate that press in practice and we bring guys in to play against." Two free throws by Jen Clemente, who only played in the closing minutes because of injuries and two foul outs, cut the lead to 59-55 with 1:54 left. After a turnover by Moore, Christina Fowler made one of two free throws to cut the deficit to three with 1:39 left. Fowler then stole the inbounds pass and hit a baseline jumper to narrow the lead to a point four seconds later. A blocking foul by Pate sent Kourtney Walton to the line for two shots and the Rutgers forward made both to put the Lady Knights ahead 60-59 with 1:19 to play. Moore hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to give Wisconsin its last lead with 53.7 seconds to go, but Pointer drove the lane for the winner. Kelley Paulus, who was averaging 15.5 points, did not score. She picked up three quick fouls in the first half and had to leave the game with 13:28 to go after hitting her head on the floor after falling while rebounding. For the second straight game, Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer had Pointer and Shawnetta Stewart on the bench at the start of the game, electing to use a lineup that included younger players for the opening 5:16. Wisconsin will meet Northeastern at 2 p.m. Sunday in the final game of the three-team round-robin event. Rutgers beat Northeastern 61-39 on Friday night. | ALSO SEE Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
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