Rutgers blows out women's basketball

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — As the No. 20 team in the nation, Rutgers has quite a few strengths on the basketball court. None, however were more effectively put to use last night than a devestating full-court press.

Despite hanging with the Scarlet Knights physically, the women's basketball team was unable to recover from an 18-0 Rutgers run to start the game and dropped a 68-46 decision here last night.

The Tigers (2-4 overall) couldn't crack a ferocious Rutgers (5-1) press, and after falling behind early found it hard to play catch up.

Princeton was also without leading scorer sophomore forward Katy Digovich, who was suspended earlier in the week for violating an unspecified team rule.

The team was unable to get past Rutgers' suffocating defensive pressure. The Scarlet Knights pressed after every basket, and frequently gave Princeton trouble right off of the ball. At one point, Rutgers scored three consecutive baskets without allowing the Tigers to get the ball past halfcourt.

When they did beat the Rutgers press, the Tigers had an effective offensive attack. O'Brien had her best night of the season from beyond the arc, hitting five three-pointers. Her success from the outside allowed Cowher to establish a presence in the paint. Cowher frequently drove into the lane against taller defenders but was able to nail tough layups time and again. She finished the game with 12 points and earned praise from her coach along with fellow freshman forward Ariel Rogers.

"On the court [Cowher's] she has a presence, and Ariel Rogers had a good night for us as well," he said.

"All our freshman played well and there's a lot to be optimistic about."

The Tigers also got strong performances from junior forward Katy O'Brien and freshman forward Meagan Cowher. Sophomore guard Elyse Umeda came off the bench to score in double figures with 10. Head coach Richard Barron credited his team for hanging tough.

"I'm pleased that we played well," he said. "I don't think that we backed down, and we had a couple of runs where we executed beautifully."

Rutgers, which came into the game primarily as an inside team, started a smaller lineup and relied on its perimeter game to build up the lead. The Tigers held the Knights' best scorer, forward Michelle Campbell, to just six points for the game but were burned on the outside by guards Nikki Jett and Courtney Locke, who dropped 17 and 15 points on Princeton, respectively. Locke had come into the game averaging just 1.8 points per game on the season. Her previous career high was nine.

The win was also the 700th for Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer. She is the fourth coach in women's National College Athletic Association history to achieve the feat. The crowd chanted Stringer's initials throughout the game.

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Following the game, Barron had nothing but praise for his coaching counterpart.

"I'm very proud of her," he said. "I admire the way her players really respond to her."

There were other positives the Tigers could take away from the game. This was one the most fundamentally clean games the team has played thus far this season. Princeton committed 21 turnovers for the game, but many were more the result of Rutgers' defensive pressure rather than sloppy play. The Tigers' young players also continued their development and had another opportunity to test themselves against a top team.

For now, the team can just be thankful it doesn't have to face that press again.