Basketball - Rutgers Works Its Way Into the Round of 16

EAST LANSING, Mich ? Rutgers?s path in the N.C.A.A. women?s tournament has so far involved some pretty tall obstacles, including bad weather, an unfriendly crowd and a 6-foot-9 center.

But the Scarlet Knights have hurdled each one. They overcame their latest roadblock ? playing Michigan State on its home court in the second round ? with a 70-57 victory on Tuesday night.

?We?re just happy to make it to the Sweet 16 right now,? said Essence Carson, who scored 15 points. ?We?re glad to be given the opportunity.?

Rutgers (24-8) will play Duke, the tournament?s top seed, on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. The Blue Devils beat Rutgers by 40 points on the Scarlet Knights? court in December. But that loss now feels like a piece of history to a team that has no seniors and an abundance of youthful enthusiasm.

Kia Vaughn, a sophomore, led Rutgers with 16 points. And there were times, because of foul trouble, that Rutgers had four freshmen on the floor at the same time. Epiphanny Prince, one of those freshmen, responded with 14 points despite some shooting struggles in the first half. Another freshman, Brittany Ray, came off the bench to score 9.

?I was really pleased with their composure,? Coach C. Vivian Stringer said of the first-year players. ?They were very calm and trusting of one another.?

Rutgers, seeded fourth, led by 7 points at halftime and began to pull away in the second half, opening an 18-point lead with about three minutes left in the game. Matee Ajavon, a starter, played only 17 minutes after drawing early fouls. She, Prince and Vaughn each finished with four fouls.

Michigan State (24-9) also battled foul problems. Its 6-9 center, Allyssa DeHaan, who is five inches taller than Rutgers?s tallest players, Vaughn and Rashidat Junaid, was hit with her second foul midway through the first half and did not return until after halftime. That freed things up inside for Vaughn, who finished with six blocks and seven rebounds. With DeHaan on the bench, Rutgers went on a 12-0 run in the first half, taking a lead it never relinquished.

DeHaan, Michigan State?s leading scorer, finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds. In the first meeting between the teams, a 63-57 Rutgers win at home in January, DeHaan was also ineffective, grabbing only two rebounds.

?Just attack the basket,? Vaughn said of her philosophy once DeHaan left the game in the first half.

Victoria Lucas-Perry led the Spartans with a game-high 17 points. But two other Michigan State starters, Mia Johnson and Rene Haynes, fouled out late in the game.

?We want them to win it all,? Michigan State Coach Joanne P. McCallie said. ?It?s always kind of sudden if you don?t keep marching on.?

Michigan State proved to be a feisty opponent early on for a handful of reasons. The fifth-seeded Spartans had 8,056 fans, many of them wearing green clothing, on their side at the Breslin Center. They played host to the game even though Rutgers was seeded higher. N.C.A.A. rules allow teams to play at home if their universities had been scheduled to stage first- and second-round games.

Stringer hinted before the tournament that she was not pleased with essentially having to play an away game against a team seeded lower. She had a different tone after the game, saying: ?The crowd was fantastic. It was a great college atmosphere.?

Rutgers has been dealing with tall obstacles since before the tournament. Its travel plans to East Lansing for the first round were delayed by a day when a winter storm pelted the Northeast on Friday. But the Scarlet Knights beat East Carolina on Sunday by 43 points, holding the Lady Pirates to 10 field goals.

Rutgers never trailed against East Carolina, but it looked jittery in the opening minutes Tuesday, turning the ball over twice. Prince even launched an air ball. But Heather Zurich found her touch, making a 3-pointer to cut the Spartans? early lead to 8-7.

Michigan State took a 5-point lead before the Scarlet Knights responded with the 12-point burst that changed the complexion of the game.

The Scarlet Knights will now do their best to forget about the 85-45 thrashing Duke delivered on Dec. 4. The loss remains the worst in Stringer?s 12-year tenure at Rutgers.

Asked what she remembered of that game, Stringer said: ?I remember being totally stunned, like we were run over by a tractor-trailer in our own place, and the whole world is watching. I remember appreciating that that was a great team, that quite frankly, even though it was 40, it could have been 60.?

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