Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Rutgers beat UConn to secure the Big East title.

If you love pressure defense, bad passing, and lots of turnovers, then you were in heaven last night. If you enjoy watching basketball players put the ball through the hoop, then you'd have been better off elsewhere.

The numbers are stunning. UConn scored 12 points in the second half. Rutgers won by 6 despite shooting 26% from the floor. The teams combined for 34 turnovers and 16 assists. There was not a single field goal by either team in the final 6:45, and UConn scored exactly one point in the last 11:41.

Said Geno: "We're not that good offensively." Jeff Jacobs, less diplomatic, calls UConn's game "spectacularly bad." UConn's occasional tendency for epic chokery was on full display.

"It was ugly," coach Stringer said. "I really don't care as long as we won by one point. The score could've been 10-9."

Cappie was the bright spot. She didn't shoot well, but she got to the line, she made buckets when needed, and she almost single-handedly erased the big first-half deficit. "I have confidence in myself," she said. "It is my job when that shock clock reaches below 10 to make something happen."

And with another title in hand, Rutgers is ready to move forward with confidence, into the postseason and beyond. "I think this is definitely something that's monumental in that it sets a foundation for Rutgers women's basketball in the future," Mariota Theodoris said. "And people will look back on this season as a beginning of just, I guess, I know I'm not speaking too hasty when I say the beginning of a dynasty."