March 20, 2003
GAME: No. 13 Western Kentucky (22-8) vs. No. 4 Rutgers (20-7).
REGIONAL: Midwest, first round.
TIME: Saturday, 11:18 a.m. EST.
SITE: Stegeman Coliseum; Athens, Ga.
Following a one-year absence, Rutgers coach Vivian Stringer is happy to be back in the NCAA tournament.
After going 9-20 last season, the Scarlet Knights finished with 20 wins in 2002-03 and will face Western Kentucky in the first round.
"Our team has been working extremely hard and we as a coaching staff are very proud of this group," said Stringer.
The Scarlet Knights, who had appeared in the NCAA tournament the previous four years, come into this matchup off a 77-74 loss to Miami in the Big East quarterfinals March 9.
Rutgers, which finished second in the conference with a 13-3 mark, will be making its 14th appearance in the NCAAs.
"I am just excited to be in this situation," said captain Cappie Pondexter, who averages a team-high 18.4 points per game. "We were 9-20 last year and we are 20-7 now. It is good to be the underdog going into the tournament."
Rutgers faces a Western Kentucky team that has won 14 in a row. The Hilltoppers won the Sun Belt Conference tournament, defeating Middle Tennessee 86-83 in the final March 11.
They are led by senior forward Shala Reese, the Sun Belt player of the year. She averaged 15.8 points and a team-best 9.1 rebounds per contest. Reese and junior guard Leslie Logsdon, who topped the team with 17.6 points per game, could pose problems for Rutgers.
Saturday's game will be the third meeting between the schools. The previous two also came in the NCAA tournament, with Western Kentucky winning both.
The winner will face either Georgia or Charlotte on Monday.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Western Kentucky - F Krystal Gardner, F Reese, G Logsdon, G Kristina Covington, G Tiffany Porter-Talbert. Rutgers - F Chelsea Newton, F Michelle Campbell, G Mauri Horton, G Pondexter, G Dawn McCullouch.
TEAM LEADERS: Western Kentucky - Logsdon, 17.6 ppg and 4.5 apg; Reese, 9.1 rpg. Rutgers - Pondexter, 18.4 ppg and 4.8 apg; Shalicia Hurns, 6.9 rpg.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Western Kentucky - Automatic bid, Sun Belt tournament champion. Rutgers - At-large bid, Big East.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Western Kentucky - 17-14, 14 years. Rutgers - 18-13, 13 years.
