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Monday, Jan. 17 3:00pm ET
Huskies improve to 15-0 | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut star Svetlana Abrosimova was at her best with the game on the line. Abrosimova scored 20 points, including six in a key 17-0 run late in the first half, as top-ranked Connecticut rallied to beat No. 11 Rutgers 65-50 on Monday.
"Nobody has more competitive instincts than she does," Huskies coach Geno Auriema. "She understands at all times when the games are being decided." And she understood how to break down Rutgers' zone that early in the game denied UConn (15-0, 5-0 Big East) second chances and staked the Scarlet Knights (11-4, 4-1) to a 12-5 lead. "I saw a lot of opportunities today so I just had to do it," Abrosimova said. "We tried to dribble penetrate against their zone to get ourselves open." The Scarlet Knights' early lead was fueled by five points from Tammy Sutton-Brown. The 6-foot-4 junior center dominated the middle early, pulling down four defensive rebounds to deny UConn second chances in close. The Huskies fared no better from the perimeter, hitting just 2-of-12 from 3-point range, and were shooting just 20 percent for nearly three quarters of the half. Trailing 21-12 with just over four minutes left in the half, the Huskies finally got untracked with the key run that included a 3-pointer from Sue Bird and six points from the post from Asjha Jones. UConn also held Rutgers scoreless in that spurt to take a 29-21 lead at the break and never relinquished the lead. Swin Cash dominated the inside for UConn, pulling down 10 rebounds. Her coach called her "the best player on the floor today." "It was Swin versus five guys in the lane," Auriema said. Cash and Bird finished with 11 and 13 points, respectively. Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said her team lost patience during the UConn run. "It was a hard-fought game. One in which the defenses were ruling most of the time," Stringer said. "One of the things we need to work on is being consistent. (Connecticut) has great balance. They capitalized on our mistakes." Shawnetta Stewart, who played most of the game in foul trouble, led Rutgers with 13 points. Tasha Pointer had 13 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights. UConn leads the series 8-1. | ALSO SEE Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
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