The final knightly, Raritan riverside joust of 2008 carried a colonial era feel.
In it, Rutgers demonstrated how the Big East was won (in years past), and how it might be conquered again come March.
Tough defense and crafty second-half shot selections catapulted the Scarlet Knights to a 57-47 conquest of their rivals from the nation's capital, George Washington.
Guard Epiphanny Prince led the way, with 17 points.
"We just wanted to attack them first," Prince says. "We came out aggressive, attacking the rim. When we started pressing them, we forced a lot of turnovers, and there ended up being a lot of fast-break plays."
The turnover battle went 22-14 in Rutgers' favor. 16 of the balls George Washington coughed up came in the first half, a period in which both teams shot only 35 percent from the floor (Rutgers 35.7). The Knights pushed that to 55 percent in the second though...a period in which center Kia Vaughn grabbed 4 of her team-high 8 rebounds.
"I was looking forward to this game," Vaughn says. "Big bodies...great post players...now that we know everything is coming our way, we have to just get ready and settle down a little bit."
The win pushed Rutgers' winning streak to 6 games. Five have been at home, yet within the winning stretch, the Knights have held opponents to an average of 40.8 points per game. Among George Washington's 47 points, 11 were guard Yolanda Lavender's, and 8 of the team's 34 boards belonged to Tara Booker.
"I think this game showed and proved how hard we've been working during the break; not being in school," adds Vaughn. ""We've been in the gym, day in and day out. We just try to focus on little things. I was very proud of my team and the coaches with how they prepared us for today."
Major Matchup Ahead
A pivotal game in the season is at stake Saturday, when the always challenging Tennessee Lady Volunteers come to Piscataway to play Rutgers at the RAC. The two have met several times in recent years, most notably when the Vols defeated Rutgers 59-46 for the 2007 NCAA Championship.
Rosters are different now, and Vaughn, who was a sophomore at the time thinks the Knights are ready for this defining moment of the 2008-09 season.
"I think we've improved," says Vaughn, who feels that the team was a "3" on a scale of 1 to 10 during the two gaping west coast losses to Stanford and Cal. "Now I think we're about a...six and a half. We still have a lot to go."
The Lady Vols come into the game 9-2, and with a #8/12 rank, yet they will be coming into New Jersey amid a coast-to-coast road trip, and will be greeted by the Knights ongoing winning streak.
"To get to a 10," Vaughn says, continuing her thoughts of the scale, and perhaps running the winning streak that high, "you know we're going to be amazing! We're picking it up."
This clash of NCAA titans happens Saturday, January 3rd at 2:00pm (ET).
