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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- In the history of the Big East women's
basketball tournament, no team played better defense than Rutgers (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 8 AP) did Sunday night.
The Scarlet Knights set a tournament record for fewest points
allowed in a game, beating Villanova 61-32 in the quarterfinals.
"We were overwhelmed by their athleticism," Villanova coach
Harry Perretta said. "Defensively, they are the toughest team we
face. In the second half, we were exhausted."
The 32 points scored by Villanova (15-14) was a record for the
fewest in a Big East tournament game. The previous low was by
Boston College in a 56-38 loss to Providence in 1983.
"We tried to speed up the tempo but we always emphasize the
defense first," Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said. "We not
going to try and outscore you. A game in the 60s and 70s probably
is to our advantage."
Rutgers (21-6), the No. 3 seed, advanced to Monday night's
semifinal game against No. 6 Notre Dame, which beat Miami 67-52.
Tammy Sutton-Brown had 12 points and seven rebounds to lead
Rutgers.
Villanova, which fell behind 16-2 at the start, shot 7-of-25 in
the first half and 12-for-44 in the game.
Rutgers took a a 16-2 lead as the Wildcats shot 1-of-14 in the
first 11 minutes. The Wildcats then went on a 14-2 run of their own
to cut the margin to 18-16 with 4:21 left in the half. Freshman
Katie Davis had eight points in the run, including a pair of
3-pointers.
The Scarlet Knights took a 22-19 lead at halftime and then went
on an 11-2 run to start the second half.
Shawnetta Stewart and Linda Miles added 10 points apiece for
Rutgers.
Brandi Barnes led Villanova with 13 points.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Villanova Clubhouse
Rutgers Clubhouse
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