Rutgers reloaded, refreshed for BC rematch

The cover of the Boston College women's basketball media guide says it all. There is a picture of a beaming coach Cathy Inglese at last season's Big East Tournament, scissors in one hand, net in the other.

The Eagles had just defeated Rutgers to win their first tournament title, and they went on to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years.

Now it's time for a rematch, as the teams play at Conte Forum tonight.

This season, Rutgers (13-4, 4-0 Big East), went from 24th in the Associated Press poll to 14th, and then to fourth, with stunning upsets of Tennessee, Texas, and LSU. The two-week jump was the biggest in the history of the women's poll.

With losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame in the past week, the Scarlet Knights have slipped back to No. 8, but Inglese knows her 14th-ranked Eagles (14-2, 5-0) are in for a tough game.

"They're a very physical team, very aggressive, and they do a lot of pressing," she said. "So it's going to be a great game."

Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer said she doesn't view the game as an opportunity for revenge.

"This is really a different team, and it isn't so much revenge as a chance to play a really good team," said Stringer.

The Scarlet Knights, who have no sophomores, are led in scoring by freshman Matee Ajavon with 13.3 points per game. The 5-foot-8-inch guard has been named Big East Freshman of the Week three times, and has four 20-point games. She is joined in the backcourt by National Player of the Year candidate Cappie Pondexter, who sat out the first eight games of the season for personal reasons but is since averaging 9.6 points per game.

Both Ajavon and Pondexter likely will come off the bench, in keeping with Stringer's philosophy of springing them on the opponent after the first few minutes.

"When I was coaching at Iowa, there was an entire year that we inverted the rotation," Stringer said. "It worked well, because the starters know they're going to get in, and in the meantime, you get a big bonus from the ones who do start. They have to set the tempo, the tone of the game. And we have good offense coming in off the bench. Most teams get weaker when they sub, but Rutgers gets stronger."

Junior forward Michelle Campbell is second in scoring (12.4) and leads the team in rebounding (5.8). Senior Chelsea Newton, another Player of the Year candidate, has started all 17 games and averages 9.7 points.

If Stringer has any concerns, it's the unpredictability of the freshman class.

While their statistics are dazzling, the freshmen still aren't tested, and that will take time, Stringer said.

"You can't ever tell how they're going to do or what will affect them -- the crowd noise, a bad play, an article. But that's what makes freshmen so great and unpredictable."

There is one freshman who doesn't let much rattle her.

"Nothing seems to affect Matee -- she seems to be oblivious to it all," said Stringer. "The basketball court is her playground, it's her safe haven."

But Stringer offers a caution.

"She has played great all year but is still an inexperienced freshman," she said. "And we should not confuse poise with maturity. She wants to please all the time, and hangs her head when she does something wrong. But she's a freshman; she has to grow into that."

BC senior Jessalyn Deveny, who leads the Eagles in scoring at 18.1 ppg, scored 20 points in last year's Big East Tournament final against Rutgers and was named the tournament MVP. She said her respect for the Scarlet Knights hasn't waned, despite the team's recent losses.

"They're always a team to be reckoned with," she said. "And they beat the top three teams in the country. They're still good."