Box Score

STORRS, CT (March 20) - The crowd was behind it from the start, but the 14th-seeded University of Hartford women's basektball team couldn't match third-seeded Rutgers University's offensive firepower in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, falling 62-37 Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion.

Hartford finished the season with an overall record of 22-9. Rutgers (26-6), which entered the game ranked ninth in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, advanced to face Temple University in the second round on Tuesday, March 22.

The Hawks took the game's first lead on a free throw by sophomore guard Ikea Witt in the opening minute. Rutgers scored its first basket on the following possession to go up 2-1, but Hartford went ahead on its next trip down the floor thanks to another basket by Witt. Hartford's 3-2 lead would be its last of the game, as Rutgers took the lead back behind free throws from Michelle Campbell.

The Scarlet Knights broke the game open over a seven-minute stretch midway through the stanza. Rutgers used a 21-2 run to seize a 27-7 lead with 9:10 remaining in the half, with guard Cappie Pondexter scoring 12 of her 14 first-half points during the stretch.

Rutgers led by as many as 22 in the first half, though the Hawks narrowed the margin by scoring the final six points of the half to trail 34-18 going into the locker room. Freshman Danielle Hood had all of her nine points in the first half to lead Hartford.

Hartford was held to 29-percent shooting in the first half and committed 12 turnovers. Rutgers shot 50 percent from the floor and turned the ball over seven times.

The Hawks fell behind by 20 points in the opening mintues of the second half but never quit. Hartford used a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to 14 with 15:42 remaining but would get no closer. Rutgers kept Hartford at bay with stifling defense, holding the Hawks to only 24-percent shooting in the stanza.

Junior guard Erika Messam scored six points in the second half to finish with eight for the game. Witt had seven points while senior Tanika Price chipped in with five points, and junior Jenna Gale finished with four points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Pondexter led all scorers with 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting, the only player to finish in double figures for the game. Rutgers shot 53 percent for the game while holding Hartford to 26 percent. The Hawks also went 0-for-8 from three-point range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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