VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) -- Shalicia Hurns made a layup at the buzzer to lift (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP) Rutgers to a 50-49 victory over (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP) Villanova on Saturday.
Cappie Pondexter took the inbounds pass the length of the court and had her shot blocked by Courtney Mix. Hurns grabbed the loose ball and laid it in as time expired.
Pondexter scored 20 points and Hurns had 14 points and nine
rebounds for the Scarlet Knights (20-5, 13-2), who have won 11
straight. Rutgers clinched second place in the Big East with the
win.
Trish Juhline and Katie Davis each had 15 points for Villanova,
which had its seven-game winning streak snapped. Davis scored nine
of her points in the second half.
The Wildcats (21-5, 11-4 Big East) had taken a one-point lead
when Juhline made a driving layup with 7.1 seconds left. That
basket capped an 11-2 run that helped Villanova erase an
eight-point deficit.
Rutgers took a 46-38 lead with five minutes left when Pondexter
capped a 9-2 run by making one of two free throws.
A 3-pointer by Katie Davis gave Villanova a 16-9 lead midway
through the first half, but Rutgers scored 13 of the next 16 points
to take a 22-19 lead. The Scarlet Knights led 24-23 at the break.