The New York Times-20080127-Tuning Up for a Tough Road- No- 5 Rutgers Beats Villanova

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Tuning Up for a Tough Road, No. 5 Rutgers Beats Villanova

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Rutgers point guard Matee Ajavon pulled her long hair back into a ponytail Saturday, then tugged on a white headband to keep everything in place. She lost that battle. Strands of hair escaped and danced on her forehead.

But Ajavon, a senior from Newark, was unflappable in the Scarlet Knights' 63-54 victory against Villanova, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the second half. Ajavon played the whole game and had a season-high nine assists as Rutgers won its 12th game in a row.

Now Ajavon must carry the fifth-ranked Knights (17-2, 7-0 Big East) into their toughest stretch of the season. Beginning Tuesday at West Virginia, Rutgers plays five ranked opponents in 21 days, including No. 1 Connecticut.

It's time to get dirty, Ajavon said.

Villanova (12-8, 2-5) had been tough enough. The Wildcats run an offense as tightly woven as an Afghan rug and love to take long shots. They made 10 of 20 3-point attempts Saturday, keeping the 7,533 fans at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in suspense for a while.

Strategically, they make you work, Ajavon said. It was a test for us.

The Knights prevailed because they scored 8 consecutive points in a 3-minute-54-second stretch late in the second half. Ajavon started the run by hitting a 3-point shot. She also had an assist and helped force a turnover.

With her being so calm, everybody feeds off her energy and confidence, said the junior center Kia Vaughn, who had 16 points and 8 rebounds for Rutgers.

Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer seemed relieved that her team had dodged a challenge from Villanova and its coach, Harry Perretta. But she also pressed her index fingers to her temples, rubbing hard, while discussing the victory.

No matter how much I like him personally, he gives me a big headache, Stringer said of Perretta, Villanova's coach for 30 years.

Villanova took a 38-37 lead on a basket by Laura Kurz with 13:53 left in the game.

Ajavon, who had scored in double figures in her previous seven games, had been relatively quiet to that point, with 2 points and 5 assists.

But she took a pass from Epiphanny Prince and made a 3-pointer that gave Rutgers the lead for good.

The Wildcats turned the ball over, and Ajavon made a jump shot. Villanova had another turnover, and Ajavon steamed in for a fast-break layup.

Their guards are so fast, it's difficult for us to guard both, Perretta said, referring to Ajavon and Prince.

Perretta suggested that Ajavon and Prince, who scored 14 of her 19 points in the first half, were capable of shooting even more 3-pointers.

Stringer chuckled when she was told what Perretta had said. She likes the balance Rutgers has now.

If we can do this and that, why not do this and that? she said.

Rutgers did almost everything well Saturday. It had only nine turnovers, and Villanova did not attempt a free throw.

The Wildcats had only one offensive rebound, and that came when Prince blocked a Villanova layup attempt out of bounds.

We tried to do a good job of making it one and done, Prince said.

Stringer was clearly delighted that Vaughn shook off a sluggish start Saturday.

The Knights will need stout efforts from Vaughn if they hope to beat Connecticut in a Feb. 5 game at home and No. 2 Tennessee on Feb. 11 in Knoxville.

Rutgers will also play No. 19 Pittsburgh and No. 16 Notre Dame in the next three weeks.

Stringer said the stretch would be a challenge, but she added that she enjoyed sitting in a room for five or six hours and scouring videotape, particularly when elite opponents loom.

No one's holding a spot for us at the Final Four, she said.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Rutgers's Myia McCurdy, left, passing around Villanova's Lisa Karcic on Saturday. (PHOTOGRAPH BY MEL EVANS/ASSOCIATED PRESS)