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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- The Rutgers women's basketball team
prides itself on a stingy defense.
Vermont had a taste of that Saturday as No. 7 Rutgers held it to
a school record-low 29 points to give the Scarlet Knights a 54-29
victory in the Coca-Cola Classic.
"We try to be as stingy as we can be," said Rutgers coach C.
Vivian Stringer. "Our team is in better condition at this time of
the season than in past years and it's showing up on the court."
Rutgers will play George Washington, a 76-62 winner over
Washington State, in Sunday's championship game at 3 p.m. EST.
Washington State and Vermont will meet in the consolation game at 1
p.m.
Karlita Washington scored 12 points in her return from a
one-game suspension for an NCAA violation and Tammy Sutton-Brown
had 11.
Rutgers held Vermont scoreless for a 7 1/2-minute period in the
first half while building a 20-7 advantage. The lead eventually was
20 at the half, 31-11, and grew to as much as 30 points in the
second half.
"They are such a disciplined team," said Vermont's high
scorer, Dawn Cressman, who had 10 points for the Catamounts (2-2).
"If we could have made a few shots early, we might have gained
some confidence. But once they got running ..."
Vermont coach Keith Cieplicki was not discouraged with the loss,
but saw it more as a learning experience for his team.
"They're so good with the ball that you can't make mistakes
because they take advantage of them," he said. "That's why they
were a Final Four team. We fought very hard the whole 40 minutes."
In the first game, George Washington took a 29-28 lead at the
half and eventually built a double-figure lead. Elena Vishniakova
and Erica Lawrence scored 17 points each to lead GW (2-1). Petra
Dubovcova added 13 and Kristeena Alexander 11.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Vermont Clubhouse
Rutgers Clubhouse
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