The Guru Report: Rutgers Rolls But Delaware Stopped Short

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

In but just two of the Guru’s local 11 D-1 squads in action Sunday through the combo finals/pre-holiday period Rutgers continued to roll, beating Marshall 66-41 at home at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J., while Delaware suffered an agonizing ending on the road, losing to Gardner-Webb 67-65 at Paul Porter Arena in in Boiling Springs, N.C.

In the Delaware game, the Blue Hens had a chance to extend things into overtime and get a chance to rescue the outcome in the final five seconds only to have a game-tying, length-of-the-court scoring drive by Abby Gonzales negated by an assessed offensive foul as time expired.

The game had seven ties and 13 lead changes.

Samone DeFreese had a season-high 19 points for the Blue Hens (3-6) along with eight rebounds, three steals and an assist while graduate student Nicole Enabcosi had 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Enabosi, the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association player of the year, recently returned after missing all of 2018-19 with a knee injury.

 Jasmine Dickey had 10 points and six assists.

Carley Plentovich had 20 points for Gardner-Webb (4-3), while Jhessyka Williams scored 15, and Gabrielle Caponegro scored 10.

The Guru was not there but noticed off the boxscore that one of the officials’ last name was Outlaw, though it is not known whether he made the call or the assessment to Gonzales could be considered a crime.

“We led at halftime but we knew they were not going to go away,” Delaware coach Natasha Adair kept her comments to just the play of the Blue Hens. “In these moments on the road and on someone else’s court, you have to capitalize on everything.

“There were times we got a turnover and got good looks, but didn’t execute on the offensive end. It’s heartbreaker for sure because we’ve had really good momentum, especially on the road. But this game is quick, and we have to get better,” she said.

“We have to have a short memory because it’s a quick turnaround to play (at) Charlotte on Tuesday.”

Following the 11:30 a.m. tip and game, Delaware will be off until returning home Sunday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. to host George Mason in the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.

And then it will be on to the CAA portion of the schedule, opening on the road, Friday, Jan. 3, against UNCW at 7 p.m. at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, N.C.

Rutgers Equals Best Start in 14 Seasons After Beating Marshall 66-41

But are the Scarlet Knights as good as the one that played that year?

Before getting into the comparisons, the small Guru slate allowing space for the discussion here, first the specifics out of Sunday’s result.

The Scarlet Knights (10-1) were able to do just fine despite the absence of Arella Guirantes (19.1 ppg.), who has already earned two Big Ten player of the week honors.

Freshman center Maori Davenport celebrated her birthday with a career-high 13 points, while Khadaizha Sanders scored 12, Mael Gilles and Tekia Mack each scored 11 and Jordan Wallace scored 10 in dropping Marshall to an even 5-5.

“We’re really proud of the team,” said Hall of Fame Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, who was pleased with the team’s play as opposed to a week ago in the win at home over Towson. “We were down some players because of injury, but everyone stepped up in a team effort.

“We clicked on all cylinders today, and it came at a great time. We’re going to get some rest, we’re going to hammer down our rotations and patterns, and we’re going to be ready for the Big Ten.”

Rutgers will next play, Dec. 28, playing at Wisconsin that Saturday at 3 p.m. to open the Big Ten slate and then return New Year’s to host nationally-ranked Indiana.

Ah yes, the Big Ten.

So, here’s where we return to the opening thesis in this section in terms of not all 10-1 teams are the same.

A total true comparison to the last 10-1 group is not available because this one is still a wide-open book, with a history of the roster beyond to be played out.

But for the non-veteran fans of the Scarlet Knights, here’s what you need to know first by comparing the first 11 games on each schedule. 

In terms of schedule and superior talent right now at the Rutgers end, for the most part there’s been a feast of cupcakes, either in terms of the opponent or some higher-regarded names without mentioning them, but who are not at the moment equivalent to their stellar foremothers.

Though there wasn’t time to research what those first 11 opponents became, key names who Rutgers beat in 2005 on the front end were N.C. State, Iowa in Iowa City. Old Dominion and Texas, while the one loss came on the road at Mississippi, just like recently this team lost on another SEC road stop at LSU, which recently had a one-week appearance in the Associated Press women’s poll.

As for roster, this one is still to be chronicled but the Guru presents the 2005-06 starting five, all of which played serviceable to noteworthy careers in the WNBA: Cappie Pondexter, Matee Ajavon, Kia Vaughn, Essence Carson, Michelle Campbell. (The next group subbing in 2006-07 Epiphanny Prince for Pondexter and sub Heather Zurich for Campbell, for mention, went to the national title game.)

The 2005-06 squad went on to an overall 27-5, played in the Old Big East and swept it in the regular season and then stumbled against West Virginia in the Big East semifinals, costing it receive an NCAA placement in Tennessee’s path and the season ended against the Lady Vols 76-69 in the Cleveland regional semifinals.

The following year the squad lost to Tennessee in the national title game 59-46.

The other losses of the 2005-06 squad were at Michigan State 73-71 and at home to Temple 48-47 – the Owls then coached by Dawn Staley were nationally ranked and featured future WNBA star Candice Dupree.

Nationally Noted: Louisville Edges Kentucky in Battle of the Bluegrass Blue Bloods

Likewise, the locals, there was not a lot of action Sunday and continuing through this week.

The most contested game occurred in the South where No. 7 Louisville won at No. 14 Kentucky 67-66 in Lexington as Kylie Shook scored five straight points to put the Cardinals (10-1) ahead down the stretch to hold off the Wildcats (10-1), handing them their first loss of the season.

Louisville trailed by 10 late in the third quarter before launching a 13-0 run to get back into contention.

The Cardinals’ Dana Evans had 18 points, while Shook had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Jasmine Jones and Bianca Dunham scored 10 each to give Louisville it’s fourth straight win in the series.

Rhyne Howard, the reigning national freshman of the year, scored 26 for Kentucky.

Stanford came off a two-week break since becoming No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s poll and easily handled Ohio State 71-52 at home in Maples Pavilion on the West Coast.

Haley Jones scored 15 points while Kiana Williams, Lexi Hull, and Fran Belibi each scored 13 for the Cardinal (9-0), who face Tennessee later this week.

Janai Crooms scored 15 for unranked Ohio State (6-4), which earlier back in Columbus had upset Louisville after they had leaped to No. 2 in the wake of upsetting previous No. 1 Oregon.

No. 8 Florida State got challenged at home before edging unranked Saint John’s 74-70, while No. 11 Texas A&M coach Gary Blair got his 800^th win in an easy home triumph 73-42 over Houston in College Station.

The key game Monday will have No. 2 Connecticut visiting its former and future Big East opponent DePaul, ranked 16^th, in Chicago. 

The Huskies play one more in the calendar year hosting Oklahoma at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut Sunday.

Thus, the likelihood Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma’s group will be the only team to spend the entire decade ranked in the AP’s top 5 as well as top 10.

Another score of interest involving mid-major teams saw Marist of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference beat the Summit League’s Green Bay group 72-60 at home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

And that’s the report.