MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – All-American guard Cappie Pondexter scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half, to lead 8th-ranked Rutgers to a hard-fought 54-41 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers Friday night at the WVU Coliseum.

The Scarlet Knights (19-3, 11-0) used an early 16-0 run to grab a 22-6 advantage at the 7:41 mark of the first half. The run was aided by a West Virginia drought in which the Mountaineers went exactly 11 minutes between made field goals.

Spurred by a LaQuita Owens 3-pointer with 6:22 left in the first half, the Mountaineers went on a 16-0 run of their own to tie the halftime score at 22.

“The way the game started, I thought it was really good that we were able to come back and tie it at halftime,” West Virginia coach Mike Carey said. “I thought we did a good job with our zone to bother them in that stretch in the first half.”

An Ashley Powell jumper to start the second half gave the Mountaineers a 24-22 advantage. For the next 10 minutes the game was a back-and-forth affair with neither team gaining more than a five-point lead in that span.

The Scarlet Knights were clinging to a 39-35 lead at the 8:40 mark of the second half when Pondexter broke lose for eight points, including two 3s during a 13-4 Rutgers run that gave the Knights an insurmountable 52-37 lead at the 2:33 mark of the second half.

Carey described the difficulty the Mountaineers had in trying to keep the Rutgers star under wraps.

“She’s just that good. We couldn’t match up with them in man because we knew she would just take us to the hole and get us in foul trouble,” Carey said. “I’ve seen her do that to some of the best teams in the country. In my opinion she is the best player in the country and she deserves all the credit she can get.”

Sophomore center Olayinka Sanni led the Mountaineers with 13 points.

For the game, West Virginia (12-10, 4-7) shot an ice-cold 32.7 percent (16 of 49) from the field, including a frigid 21.4 percent (3 of 14) from 3-point range.

The Scarlet Knights had a 40-32 rebounding advantage, including 12 offensive rebounds that resulted in 11 points.

“You can’t give a good team like Rutgers 12 second chances and expect to win,” Carey said.

Turnovers were again a big problem for West Virginia, which came into the game leading the Big East in that category. The Mountaineers committed 18 miscues which turned into 16 Rutgers points.

“We had chances in the second half but it’s the same old thing, turnovers and then fouls on the other side,” Carey said.

In the midst of a three-game losing streak, it gets no easier for the Mountaineers as they hit the road for a Wednesday night game at Cincinnati (14-7, 4-6). Tip off is set for 7 p.m.



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