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November 26, 2013
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION REMAINS WITHOUT LANEY
SWIMMING & DIVING
All-around support offsets injury By Greg Johnson Associate Sports Editor
When junior wing Betnijah Laney went down Nov. 17 with a high-ankle sprain, it was easy to write off the Rutgers women’s basketball team. In recent years, injuries to former key post players such as Monique Oliver and Chelsey Lee significantly hindered the Scarlet Knights. But head coach C. Vivian Stringer asserted before the season this team has a different feel. So far, her claim has merit. Even though Laney, averaging a double-double in three games, is arguably Rutgers’ (4-1) best player, the Knights have shown few ill-effects. With Laney in the starting lineup, Rutgers averaged 67.7 points in the first three games. In the two games she has missed, the team averages a nearly identical 66 points per contest. Rutgers’ depth is evident. At least two Knights have scored double figures in every game this season, including six combined in the games Laney missed. Rutgers also offset Laney’s team-leading 11.7 rebounds in its most recent game Friday against Howard, corralling a season-high 57 boards.
“[Friday] was actually really important for us because we came down with a loss last time but we held our heads up,” said junior point guard Syessence Davis. “That’s in the past. We’ve got to get to the next thing. That was the thing we really had [Friday] — to just be positive and keep the energy flowing.” The dominant post play was largely attributable to the Knights’ size advantage, as Howard possesses no players taller than 6-foot-1. But without Laney, others still had to step up. Even Davis, standing at only 5-foot-7, grabbed nine rebounds. While defensively playing the point, she saw significant time down low on offense to help fill Laney’s void. “Betnijah, being hurt, was probably one of the most flexible players,” Stringer said. “She played the perimeter and she went inside, she played outside. We needed someone that had a real good feel for the movements, so it didn’t cause there to be a disconnect with everything else. [Davis] knows that generally point guards are that adaptable because they know the game, so they know other people’s positions.” Sophomore forward Rachel Hollivay also rose to the occasion.
The 6-foot-4 Heritage Academy (Miss.) product broke out with 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks in 32 minutes. She was named yesterday to the AAC’s Weekly Honor Roll. Hollivay, the nation’s ninthbest recruit in 2012, according to ESPNU HoopGurlz, can see her development producing results. “With the help of my team and my coaches, it’s coming along really great,” Hollivay said. “I’m very excited about this season.” Now the Knights’ focus shifts back on the road, where it hopes to clean up some lingering unforced errors in the half court. The next tests come Friday and Saturday at the Barclays Center Women’s Invitational in Brooklyn, with Laney still questionable to play. “We’ve just got to get better and we’ve got to work on our chemistry,” Davis said. “It’s great now, but it has to be even greater. I feel like that’s where teams start — with their chemistry, and that’s all we got to do is keep our chemistry moving forward and keep each other energized.” For updates on the Rutgers women’s basketball team, follow Greg Johnson on Twitter @GregJohnsonRU. For general Rutgers sports updates, follow @TargumSports.
Sophomore Morgan Pfaff captured first in the 200-yard I.M. at the Frank Elm Invitational this weekend with a time of 2:04.69. EDWIN GANO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Knights take second at home invitational By Sean Stewart Staff Writer
Junior point guard Syessence Davis played some forward Friday against Howard in the absence of junior wing Betnijah Laney. Davis pulled down nine rebounds. DENNIS ZURAW / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
There were high-fives all around from the Rutgers swimming and diving team following its second-place finish Sunday at the Frank Elm Invitational at the RU Aquatic Center. The Scarlet Knights finished with 1321.5 points during the three-day event, just behind Columbia, which totaled 1378.52 points. Army, Wagner, West Chester, Drexel, Villanova, Massachusetts, St. Peter’s and Boston University followed behind the Knights. “I’m very pleased we fought very hard all three days and performed very well,” said head coach Phil Spiniello. “It was better than last year at this meet, which is a sign of improvement in the program and also a sign of good things to come.” Senior diver Nicole Scott continued her strong start to the season, as she broke her second record of the year. Scott placed first in the platform diving event with a final score of 295.10, surpassing the record she set last year. The Toronto, Canada native previously reset the 3-meter diving record in early November at the team’s quad meet. Scott also finished in second place in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, concluding another successful weekend. “It felt really good. It was a bit of a surprise actually,” Scott said on breaking her record. “I feel like I have been practicing really well and I was really happy that all the dives came together.” Sophomore Joanna Wu, who finished the weekend with three first-place finishes, led the swimmers. Wu captured first place Friday in the 500 free, the 100-yard backstroke Saturday and capped off the event Sunday winning the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:59.09.
The Kent, Wash., native also finished four th in the 200 freestyle to round out a strong per formance. “The meet was so much better than I thought it was going to be,” Wu said. “I did really well and improved so much, and finals were so fun. It was an awesome experience.” Sophomore Morgan Pfaff also collected a first-place finish for the Knights. Pfaff claimed the top spot in the 200-yard I.M. with a time of 2:04.69 and also finished fifth in the 400 I.M. Seniors Mary Moser, Allyson Perrotti and Brittany Guinee, along with juniors Greta Leberfinger and Brogan Lee also posted strong individual results. Moser placed second in the 50 freestyle while claiming fourth in both the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. Moser also captured sixth in the 200 butterfly. Perrotti placed fourth in the 200-yard I.M. and sixth in the 100 breaststroke. Leberfinger finished fourth in both the 100- and 200-yard breastroke while Guinee placed fourth in the 200 fly and Lee captured fourth in the 1650 freestyle. The Knights’ relay teams also had sound showings. The team of Wu, Leberfinger, Guinee and Moser placed second in the 400 medley relay and fourth in the 200 medley relay. In the 800 freestyle relay, the team of Wu, Moser, Guinee and Pfaff finished in fourth. The team of Wu, Moser, sophomore Sophie Newton and sophomore Sarah Coyne finished third in the 200 freestyle relay. “We’re right where we need to be right now,” Spiniello said. “We need to continue to train hard and continue to work on our race plans, and go into the second half of the season with a focus and mentality that we’re going to be great in February.” For updates on the Rutgers swimming & diving team, follow @ TargumSports on Twitter.