              
|
|
New York Gauchos News Archives
9/27/05
Rice's Sosa will attend Louisville
BY MARCUS HENRY - STAFF WRITER - May 13, 2005
Rice point guard and Newsday All-City second-team selection Edgar Sosa said yesterday he will attend the University of Louisville beginning in September 2006. He announced his decision during a news conference at the school yesterday.
The 6-2 junior, who averaged 16 points and seven assists for the Raiders (22-5), chose Louisville over Connecticut, Florida State and North Carolina State. Sosa said he chose Louisville because the school's style of play fits his strengths, and his respect for head coach Rick Pitino.
"The way they get up and down the court and the way they shoot the three ... those are the strengths of my game," said Sosa, who told Pitino on Tuesday night. "It's also a place where I know I'll be able to learn and get an education."
Joining Sosa yesterday were family members, teammates and his coach, Maurice Hicks.
"I feel good for him," said 6-9 Curtis Kelly, a Newsday All-City first-team selection. "He put in a lot of long hard hours to get here. He can play with anyone."
Hicks agreed with Sosa's view of Louisville and Pitino.
"Pitino is going to see to it that Edgar is successful," he said. "Louisville is the right fit for him."
CYP tournament championship: Gauchos defeat Team Odom 71-64 for title
PORT CHESTER &Mac247; Traffic delayed Curtis Kelly from arriving at the CYP Tournament championship game last night. Fortunately for the Rice High School star junior, play was halted until he arrived.
After the original 8 p.m. tip-off was pushed back approximately 45 minutes, Kelly wasted no time making his mark on the game, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds in the first quarter alone.
The Gauchos, led by Kelly's 22 points and 14 rebounds, defeated Team Odom 71-64 last night at Our Lady of Mercy Church.
For the Bronx-based Gauchos, the victory marked their third straight CYP Tournament title.
"The Gauchos always have had good teams with NBA prospects," said Kelly, who was named tournament MVP. "This is just another year of having a great team."
For Gauchos sophomore Derek Dennis, the win continued his dream season. Less than two weeks ago, Dennis helped lead Peekskill to the state public school championship in Class A.
"I'm on a good streak right now," said Dennis, who had four points and four rebounds. "It's a good team to be a part of, and hopefully it will help with my learning experience."
After a tightly contested first half, the Gauchos led 29-24. On several occasions in the third quarter, the Gauchos pulled ahead by seven, but were never able to extend the lead past that.
Tempers flared between the teams with 3:29 remaining to the point where one of the referees had all the players huddle around the free-throw line and make nice with each other.
Following the incident, Team Odom closed the quarter on a 6-2 run to knot the score at 41-41. The Gauchos ripped off eight straight points to start the fourth quarter, culminating with a deep jumper by Crawford with 4:50 to play.
A 3-pointer by Larry Davis cut the lead to four with 2:55 to go, but that was as close as Team Odom would get. A thunderous left-handed jam by Kelly with 1:05 left gave the Gauchos a double-digit lead for the first time at 65-55.
"I just wanted to come out and play hard to get the win," Kelly said. "There was some trash talking going on, but it was all in fun."
Team Odom's Will Harris, who will play at Nebraska next year, led all scorers with 33 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter.
Carlos Pellot, a member of the Rodney Abrams All Stars and a senior at Carmel High School ,was given the tournament's Sportsmanship Award.
Dennis plans to use the tournament as a springboard for the rest of his AAU season.
"To be playing in this tournament and to be part of this history means a lot to me," Dennis said. "I'm looking forward to having a good summer and maintaining what we did this year."
NEW YORK GAUCHOS WIN 9TH GRADE NIKE CENTRAL OHIO BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT.
The NY Gauchos 9th grade/15&under team traveled to Columbus, Ohio this past weekend to participate in the NIKE Central Ohio Grassroots Basketball Tournament. After losing the opening game in a tough battle to Nike Team Ferrari, the Gauchos went on to win their next 6 games to bring home the Championship.
The semi-final game vs All-Ohio Red (the home team) was probably the best game of the tournament. We squeaked out at 67-63 win and I must say the referees did a great job of keeping control of a very heated contest. Darryl "Truck" Bryant, Curtis Loving and Jonathon Riggs finished the game with 24, 21 and 18 points respectively. All three, in addition to Dave Johnson Jr was named to the All-Tournament team and 6' 6" Curtis Loving was the tournament MVP.
The Championship game was a rematch vs Nike Team Ferrari. The game was close throughout but our fourth quarter defense shut Ferrari down and we was able to pull away for a 64-57 victory. Our MVP of the Championship game was shooting guard Kyle Smyth who answered a late Ferrari three with an NBA range three of his own to keep the game close. Kevin Williams, Allan Forbes and Dante Taylor all made valuable contributions to our goal and that was to bring the GOLD back to NYC.
Xaverian Pulls Off Another Upset, Takes State Crown
By Keith Mason - March 14, 2005
When it comes to sports it's not how your start it's how you finish, and no team exemplifies that more then Xaverian. For much of the season the Clippers looked like a disappointment, and after a loss to Westchester (CA) their record stood at 12-11 and nobody gave them a chance. Well things done changed, they have reeled off 8 straight wins including two wins over Rice, including the City title game, a blowout win over Christ the King in the City semis and the latest triumph was an improbable 71 - 69 upset over #2 ranked St. Mary's.
The only chance most people gave Xaverian was if Levance Fields went off for 40 points, but that didn't even happen, the Pitt signee barely cracked double digits getting 10 points. Fields even fouled out in the contest with 2:10 remaining and his team holding a slim 66-65 lead.
With St. Mary's in the midst of a comeback and Fields on the bench it seemed the Gaels would gain control but it wasn't to be, and they never even took the lead. Fields credited his team's play down the stretch without him to the two games he missed late in the season with the flu, saying the team learned to play without him. Saiquon Stone who scored a game high 17 points echoed Fields thoughts saying "a lot of guys stepped up when Levance was out those two games, so when he fouled out they weren't nervous."
The biggest play of the game came from one of those guys needed to step up in Fields' absence, Jake Stevens. Stevens is an unheralded guard who isn't the most talented player but he always leaves it all on the court, and that effort was clear with under 15 seconds left and the Clippers clinging to a two point lead.
Facing a press Stevens got past the front line of St. Mary's defenders but at half court he was met by Tom Nolan who knocked the ball away. After Nolan knocked it lose he and Gil Montalvo got on the floor in an attempt to come up with the loose ball, but Stevens regained control, turned towards the basket and there wasn't anybody in front of him. Stevens took it all the way and put Xaverian up 71-67 with 8 seconds left to seal things.
Despite trailing for much of the first half the Clippers had to feel good about their chances because Fields hadn't managed to find his way into the scoring column. So after two free throws from Stone and a two hand dunk by high rising Chris Lowery Xaverian was in good shape heading into the break down just 34-31.
Fields finally got his name in the books wit two free throws early in the second half. Moments after the free throws St. Mary's star Danny Green picked up his 3rd foul and was forced to the sidelines with 6:18 left in the 3rd. When Green went to the sidelines the Gaels held a 5 point lead, but almost immediately things went south. All of sudden the St. Mary's guards who had been sure handed all day couldn't even dribble the ball without losing control. Xaverian capitalized by going on a 14-2 run that put them up 47-40.
The run was capped by a dribbling exhibition by Fields that saw him put the entire St. Mary's defense on skates. The play ended with a smooth left handed scoop lay-up which caused an eruption from the Xaverian contingent. After a St. Mary's miss and the crowd still buzzing Green came up with a steal and only had one person in front of him, so he did all he could do, he went over the top of him and through down a nasty one hand dunk on Brian McKenzie drawing the foul in the process. Now the St. Mary's fans were out of their seats and Green showing rare emotion was flexing and screaming. Green knocked down the free throw and the lead was down to 4.
As has been the case the entire playoffs there was nothing St. Mary's could do to make Xaverian back down. McKenzie unfazed by Green's highlight connected on a 3 with Green in his face, then Fields hit a 3 of his own and ran back on ŒD' smiling with a 53-44 lead.
In the 4th quarter things looked ready to go bad for Xaverian as Stone picked up his 4th foul with 5:17 left and the Fields picking up his 4th with 4:20 left. Both of Coach Jack Alesi's stars were on the bench. Well the rest didn't last long as Tyson Johnson came up with a steal on the inbounds after Fields went to the bench and found Green for an easy lay-up to cut the gap to five at 63-58. Alesi sensing what might happen if he kept his stars out too long called a timeout and put Stone and Fields were back in. Fields only sat for 11 seconds of game time before being reinserted.
After that Xaverian was able to hang on. They may not have been able to hold on if it wasn't for the UNC bound Green being whistled for his 5th foul on charge with 1:23 left. The worst part for St. Mary's fans wasn't that Green fouled out it was that the shot Green took went in and would've put the Gaels up 1. The charge was taken by McKenzie who on the previous possession missed two free throws, so he needed to make a big play to redeem himself and that he did. McKenzie also finished with 14 points.
St. Mary's dream season came to an end, and some may contend it was questionable calls that did them in, but it wasn't. What did the Gaels in was they ran into a team that was even hungrier then they were, and on this day the Clippers were even better then the team that would've been #1 in every national poll. On Friday USA Today's and IHigh.com's #1 team Vashon (MO) lost to Poplar Bluff (MO) in their state championship game, St. Mary's was #1 in every other national poll.
Stone and Fields pointed to the fact that St. Mary's had blown them out back in late January as inspiration for this game. Fields even said "we wanted St. Mary's, no disrespect to Rice but we wanted St. Mary's to win."
For Xaverian aside from Stone and Fields, Tim Hepworth and McKenzie also scored in double figures each scoring 14 and hitting big three point shots. Green ended his stellar high school career with a typical game although he did not shoot that well, Green finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks.
The key to Xaverian' success according to Fields was „we never looked too far ahead, we took it one step at a time, now we think about our next opponent.‰ That next opponent will likely be Niagara Falls who is another nationally ranked team. Niagara Falls will take on Kennedy the Federation semifinals on Friday at 8:30pm at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
XAVERIAN AND RICE ADVANCE
March 7, 2005 -- The last time Xaverian played at St. John's University, the Clippers were blown out by St. Mary's of Manhasset, losing by 28.
"We were a mess," head coach Jack Alesi said. "Maybe that's too strong, but we weren't a complete team at all."
Xaverian, then in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, hardly seemed like a team that would make a run in the CHSAA AA playoffs.
Yet the Clippers returned yesterday and stunned Christ the King, 57-37, to advance to the title game against Rice, which needed overtime to beat All Hallows, 75-67, in the other semifinal. The two will meet at Fordham University on Wednesday.
"[Christ the King] beat us twice before," said Saiquon Stone. "There was no way they were beating us a third time."
The relatively unsung 6-4 senior made sure of it, leading the Clippers with 20 points and 11 rebounds as Xaverian improved to 18-11, while CTK finished its season 24-3.
Stone has been one of the league's most valuable players, changing roles entirely once Xaverian lost its best interior player, Mike Davis, who is now at Banneker.
"What [Stone] did was so unselfish and he's so versatile," Alesi said. "He can play any position on the floor, but he was willing to go inside for us even though that's not where he'll play in college."
Stone doesn't consider the move a big deal.
"I'll play wherever I'm asked," Stone said. "As long as we're winning."
Which is something Xaverian has done seven times in a row now, through the Brooklyn/Queens Diocesan tournament and into the intersectionals. This win was keyed by relentless defense that held CTK to 29.8 percent shooting from the floor, including just 1-of-14 from three-point range.
"We picked a bad game to come apart," the Royals' Larry Davis said.
Now the Clippers, who also got 13 points from Levance Fields, will have to face the league's other dominant team, Rice, to win its first ever CHSAA AA title.
"We like that challenge," Fields said. "Everyone has already has had their shot at them. Now we have ours."
All Hallows nearly spoiled that plan, as the Gaels led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter. But Rice responded with a 15-0 run to take the lead. When the Gaels (12-16) forced overtime, the Raiders (22-3) answered again with an 8-0 run and weren't threatened again. Senior Joseph Vines had two rebounds and four of his team-high 17 points during that span.
"I want to leave here on a high note," said Vines, "with a ring on my finger."
He still has that opportunity because All Hallows was unable to get a shot off at the end of regulation.
"I was nervous and scared when we were down," said Curtis Kelly, who added 16 points. "But Joseph was hungry and gutted it out for us."
Rice rebounds, routs St. Ray's
Rice's Edgar Sosa slams home two of his 23 points yesterday in helping Raiders bounce back from deflating loss to Christ the King on Friday. For two nights, Edgar Sosa did not sleep well. Rice's junior point guard had fitful nights as he relived his team's first loss of the season over and over in his mind. The one-point loss was not what hurt so much, but rather the way he felt like he had contributed to the defeat.
 "I felt like I had that game in my hands," Sosa said, "and I let it slip away."
Yesterday, Sosa held on tight. He scored 23 points and had seven assists as Rice rebounded with a convincing 66-47 win over CHSAA archrival St. Raymond's at St. John's in the Tom Crotty Memorial Classic.
"Edgar said he felt like he had lost the game again. He had missed two free throws in a big spot," Rice coach Maurice Hicks said of the loss to Christ the King Friday. "But we had to just let that go."
The Raiders, buoyed by Sosa's aggressive play, pressed and ran, leaving the Ravens behind quickly. Using the full-court pressure that they had gotten away from against CK, Rice forced St. Raymond's into 27 turnovers. In the second quarter, Rice held the Ravens' scoreless for nearly five minutes and went on a 16-7 run.
Rice, which had climbed to No.2 in the nation before the loss, also showed it had learned its lesson from Friday night. In that game, Rice blew an 11-point lead in under a minute and then fell in overtime.
Yesterday, the Ravens put together a 7-2 run in the beginning of the fourth quarter and Hicks quickly called a timeout.
"I learned my lesson, too," Hicks said. "We had to settle down and keep the pressure going. We have to be about stopping runs at that point."
The lesson from the loss seemed to sink in with the entire team after a particularly quiet practice. The Raiders not only used their pressure defense to create a fastbreak offense, they also were effective in the halfcourt game, working the ball inside to big man Curtis Kelly. The 6-9 junior responded with 18 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. Chris Bethel led St. Raymond's with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Despite playing before noon in front of a smaller crowd than normal for this traditional rivalry game, it was ideal scheduling for Rice to play the Ravens yesterday.
"It's always fun to play St. Raymond's. They are our biggest rival and to beat them felt good," Sosa said. "I kept thinking about that last game, right up until I walked on the court. Then playing them, it all disappeared and I just wanted to win."
Gaines Records Double Double In Second Conference Win
Georgia Triumphs Over Auburn, 57-45 - Gaines records double-double
ATHENS -- Georgia secured its second SEC victory of the season in a 57-45 triumph over the Auburn Tigers led by 15 points from sophomore Levi Stukes and a double-double from freshman Sundiata Gaines on Saturday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.
Leading by 10 at the half, the Bulldogs' (8-15, 2-10 SEC) advantage was cut to three with five minutes remaining in regulation. Georgia dug in defensively, however, allowing the Tigers (12-13, 3-9 SEC) just one more basket from the field, while Gaines made six free throws down the stretch to keep the victory intact.
Gaines finished the night with 14 points, hitting 10-of-14 from the foul line, and a team-leading 12 rebounds.
"Our goal was to hold them under 50 points," Georgia head coach Dennis Felton said. "We did a terrific job of pressuring them. Auburn passed the ball really well. You have to face the fact that you're going to be scrambling for a long time against them on defense. We were persistent."
Ramon Raising Eyebrows
A couple of NBA scouts sat courtside for the Pitt-Rutgers game Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. Much of their attention was devoted to Panthers stars Chris Taft and Carl Krauser, but as the game progressed, another Pitt player opened their eyes.
Freshman Ronald Ramon.
"Let me look up this guy's numbers," one scout said, after watching Ramon hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a span of 42 seconds in the first half.
Another added, "He's fearless."
Ramon, a 6-foot-1 guard who grew up in the Bronx, went 5 of 9 from 3-point range and 7 of 11 overall, en route to a career-high 21 points in a 66-63 overtime victory.
To put Ramon's statistics in perspective, consider this: Pitt failed to hit five or more 3-pointers - as a team -- in 22 of its 36 games last season.
Those numbers are impressive in and of themselves. But they stand out even more when you consider Ramon achieved such success in front of a hostile environment in a crucial game for the Panthers (11-2, 1-1 Big East), who were riding a two-game losing streak.
His final 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds remaining in regulation was clutch, particularly because Ricky Shields of Rutgers sent the game into overtime seconds later on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. One of the scouts shook his head after Ramon's final 3, which occurred with two seconds left on the shot clock.
"Pretty good young player," the scout said.
Ramon provided the scouts -- and many others - with a glimpse of the future, which might be now for Pitt. He clearly added an offensive component that the Panthers lacked last season --- a dependable deep threat.
"He's a great basketball player," said Ramon's backcourt mate, Krauser, who managed only seven points, 9.5 below his average, and turned the ball over nine times. "He can play on the ball and he can play off the ball. And, he believes in himself."
Ramon was virtually unstoppable against the Scarlet Knights (6-5, 0-1). His first 3-pointer gave Pitt a 16-11 lead, and the second made it 19-11. Later in the half, with the Panthers clinging to a 25-23 edge, Ramon nailed another 3-pointer on a pass from Krauser, who had a chance to shoot, but kicked the ball back to his young teammate.
"I told him I believe in him," Krauser said.
Ramon continued his assault in the second half, with a driving bank shot early, followed by a floating one-hander that cut Rutgers' lead to 44-43 with 10:01 remaining. He later hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key that sliced Rutgers' lead to 51-48, then hit one of the biggest shots of the afternoon -- and his young college career -- with 7.6 seconds to go.
With the shot clock running down, Krauser sent the ball to Ramon, who was lined up in front of Pitt's bench. Ramon grabbed the ball and leaped above defender Quincy Douby, who could only watch as the high-arcing shot splashed through for three points, giving Pitt a 58-55 advantage. Pitt ultimately won in overtime when another young guard, sophomore Antonio Graves, hit a layup and was fouled with 41 seconds left for the deciding points.
Rutgers coach Gary Waters, who heavily recruited Ramon when the latter played at All Hallows High School, walked away impressed.
"Ramon was a guy we didn't put a lot of emphasis on (Saturday)," Waters said. "I didn't know he could come in and score 21 points. I recruited him as a point guard because he can do some point guard things."
"I just wanted to win," said Ramon, a two-time AAU national champion point guard for the New York Gauchos. Ramon plays shooting guard for Pitt because Krauser runs the point. "The (final) shot went up and it went in. After that, I said, we have to go get a stop on defense."
Ramon said nerves were never a factor, despite playing in front of family and friends in a closely contested game.
"I was just trying to play with confidence out there, to show my teammates they can trust in me in a game like this," Ramon said.
"He was steady, hitting big shots," coach Jamie Dixon said. "We're asking him not to be a freshman. We have young guys on the perimeter who have to play as if they're not young and as if they've been in these situations before."
Ajavon Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week - SCARLET KNIGHT EARNS FOURTH WEEKLY HONOR
February 14, 2005 PISCATAWAY, NJ Rutgers' Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ) has been named the BIG EAST Conference Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week, the group announced Feb. 14. This marks the fourth time this season that Ajavon has been singled out by the conference.
A 5-8 guard, Ajavon helped lead the Scarlet Knights to a pair of BIG EAST victories last week. In a 67-40 win at Seton Hall Feb. 9, she had a team-best 13 points and six assists, tied her career high with six rebounds, and added three steals while shooting 6-for-9 (.667) from the field. In the 76-62 triumph against No. 10/10 Connecticut Feb. 13, Ajavon dished out a game-best five assists and added nine points.
It marked the fourth time this season that Ajavon was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week(Dec. 20, Jan. 3, Jan. 17), and the fifth time that a Scarlet Knight earned the award (Essence Carson, Jan. 10). Ajavon's four freshman-of-the-week awards lead the conference this season.
No. 11 Rutgers (18-5, 9-2 BIG EAST) will return to action Wednesday, Feb. 16, at Syracuse at 7:00 p.m. The game will be carried on WRSU 88.7 FM. A live stream of the radio broadcast will be offered on www.scarletknights.com.
Guachos High School Stars Kelly, Sosa and Pratt Lead Rice To Impressive Victory Against Mount Vernon at Madison Square Garden
Kelly & Rice look Super at Garden
By KRISTIE ACKERT
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Center Curtis Kelly is taking off in his junior season at Rice. Potential is not easy to live with when you are pushing 6-foot-9 and playing for one of the top basketball teams in the city. Ever since he was a gangly, awkward freshman at Rice, Curtis Kelly has had to learn to play with the heavy expectations of others.
Yesterday, Kelly surpassed them for the first time. The junior center led the Raiders with 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots in a 64-55 win over defending state champion Mount Vernon in the Super Six at the Garden.
The Raiders (11-0) become an even more dangerous team with each step in Kelly's development. Rice already had the ability to run and hit the three-pointer with guards Edgar Sosa (six points, five assists, six rebounds yesterday), Taskico Brown (11 points) and Kash Pratt (nine points, four assists).
"Sometimes, I don't think Curtis knows how much talent he has," Rice coach Maurice Hicks said. "As much as I yell at him during the course of a game, he probably doesn't realize how well he is playing until he sees his stats.
"But it is because he has such talent, we expect so much of him."
Yesterday was the first time Kelly put it all together and dominated a game every minute he was on the court. Hicks challenged the 195-pound Kelly to establish himself as a good post player. Kelly controlled his shot selection - not deviating from the 10 to 12-foot jumpers or lay-ups and dunks that Hicks wants to see. He shot 11-for-12 yesterday.
"As long as we are winning I am happy," said Kelly, "I know people think I should have more points or rebounds, but I feel like I have been helping my team win this year. That's all that I really expect to do."
Gauchos H.S. Girls Alumni Matee Ajavon Delivers Winning Results For Rutgers Women's Basketball
Ajavon Lifts #4/7 Women's Basketball Past Pittsburgh 68-41
January 11, 2005 PISCATAWAY, NJ – Freshman guard Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ) came off the bench to score 12 of her game-high 24 points in the first half as Rutgers ran away with a 68-41 victory on Tuesday evening at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
The win was RU’s sixth in a row as the Scarlet Knights improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the BIG EAST. The Panthers, meanwhile, fall to 9-5 and 1-2 in the BIG EAST.
As Rutgers struggled to find its rhythm offensively in the first half, Ajavon provided a spark, igniting a 12-0 run over a five-minute span during the middle of the first half by scoring eight points. After shooting a season-best .522 percent from the field against St. John’s, the Scarlet Knights continued their torrid pace with a .509 effort against the Panthers.
After taking its largest lead of the first half (14 points, 30-16) with 2:51 to play before intermission, Pittsburgh closed the half by scoring seven of the final 11 points to full within nine, 34-25, on an Allisha Morris lay-up as time expired.
Any hopes of a Pittsburgh comeback were quickly squashed when Rutgers erupted on a 22-5 run over the first 10:00 minutes of the second half, capped by a three-pointer from Ajavon. Rutgers’ defensive effort in the second half limited Pittsburgh to just 16 points as it shot .179 from the field. The Scarlet Knights also recorded a season-high 18 steals, just fuve shy of the record of 23 set on Jan. 17, 1987 against Temple.
While Ajavon and Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ) (12 points, five rebounds) were the only Scarlet Knights to score in double figures, Chelsea Newton (Monroe, LA) chipped in with eight points and six rebounds, Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) netted seven points in 15 minutes, and Michelle Campbell (Princeton, NJ) added six points. Rutgers’ defense held Pittsburgh to just five-of-28 shooting (17.9 percent) shooting in the second half. It was the seventh time this season that it limited an opponent to 20 points or less in a half.
Pittsburgh guard Katie Hinsted (13 points) was the only Panther to score in double figures.
The Scarlet Knights return to action on Thursday, Jan. 13, when they host Georgetown at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Gametime is 7:30 p.m.
Postgame Notes
THE SPARK PLUG
Freshmen guard Matee Ajavon come off the bench and ignited Rutgers’ offense, scoring 12 of RU’s first 22 points. A look at her stat line over the past four games:
Opponent Points FG Shooting Reb. Assists
No. 8 Tennessee 20 7-17 4 3
No. 4 Texas 16 8-20 4 2
No. 1 LSU 2 0-4 1 1
St. John’s 17 5-8 4 3
Pittsburgh 24 11-16 4 6
TOTALS 79 31-65 17 15
Over the current span, Ajavon is averaging 15.8 points, 3.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.
RU RECORDS 18 STEALS
The Scarlet Knights’ defense registered 18 steals, the highest single-game total since Rutgers had 20 against Syracuse (12/13/98). The school record for steals is 23, set against Temple on Jan. 17, 1987.
THE 800 CLUB
With her first basket of the night, senior Chelsea Newton scored her 800th career point. Over 84 career games, Newton is averaging 9.6 points per contest.
FRIENDLY CONFINES
Through six games thus far at the Louis Brown Athletic Center, the Scarlet Knights have been dominate on the defensive end. The Scarlet Knights are:
-Winning by an average of 21.5 points per game
-Holding opponents to just 46.6 points
-Rutgers is shooting an average of 45.0 percent (385-865)
-Forcing an average of 20.8 turnovers per game
-RU has won 20 of its last 21 contests at the RAC.
-The Scarlet Knights have held seven of their 14 opponents to 20 points or less in a half.
PONDEXTER, RICHMAN ON THE ALL-TIME CHARTS
With her seven-point performance tonight, senior guard Cappie Pondexter now has 1,163 career points, good for 18th place on the Scarlet Knights’ all-time list. She is 46 points shy of passing Patty Coyle (1,209 points, 1978-1982).
Additionally, senior center Rebecca Richman needs just one block to move past Ronnie Smith (1982-86, 82) into eighth place on the all-time list.
Ronald Ramone Leads No. 16 Pitt Panthers to Overtime Victory
No. 16 Men's Basketball Wins 66-63 Overtime Game at Rutgers
Panthers win third straight contest at Rutgers; Ronald Ramon scores career-high 21 points on 5-9 3-point shooting.
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. Freshman Ronald Ramon scored a career and game-high 21 points on five 3-pointers to lead No. 16 Pittsburgh to a 66-63 overtime victory over Rutgers at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The victory improved Pittsburgh to 1-1 in the Big East and 11-2 overall while Rutgers dropped to 0-1 in Big East play and 6-5 overall.
The victory was Pittsburgh's third straight against the Scarlet Knights at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
Ramon's 3-pointer gave Pittsburgh a 58-55 lead with eight seconds to go in regulation. Ramon, who hit a career-high five 3-pointers, converted two pullup jumpers and finished 5-9 from behind the arc, concluded the afternoon with his career-high 21 points. Chris Taft finished with 17 points (6-9 FG) and nine rebounds and Chevon Troutman notched his ninth double-double of his career with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
After Ramon's 3-pointer, Rutgers' Quincy Douby nailed a 3-pointer with one second to go from the corner which sent the game into overtime.
Pittsburgh outscored Rutgers 8-5 in the overtime period to claim the victory. The Panthers grabbed the lead for good at 64-63 with 41 seconds, when Antonio Graves was fouled after converting a driving layup. Graves' free throw missed but Troutman grabbed the rebound and Graves was fouled again. He converted his next two free throw attempts for a 66-63 lead with 25 seconds left.
Pittsburgh, which led all the way through the first half and by many as nine points, needed to battle back from a six-point second half deficit. Rutgers went up 51-45 with 5:01 to go on a jumper by Dan Waterstradt. Waterstradt's jumper capped off a 10-4 Scarlet Knight rally that saw them erase an eight-point Pittsburgh lead.
But Pittsburgh battled back. Ramon nailed a 3-pointer and Carl Krauser converted three free throws after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt. Two minutes later, Taft's 3-point play tied the score at 55-55 with 1:08 remaining. Following a missed 3-pointer by Rutgers' Quincy Douby, Pittsburgh got the ball back and Ramon sank his 3-point attempt with eight seconds to go. Shields tied the score at 58-58 on his 3-pointer with one second.
Pittsburgh is back in action on Saturday when it hosts Seton Hall for a noon game at the Petersen Events Center.
GAME NOTES
*Ronald Ramon scored a career-high 21 points on a career-high five 3-pointers. Ramon is 13-22(.590) on 3-point attempts in his last four games. He becomes the first freshman to score 20-plus points since Chris Taft scored 24 at Providence on March 2, 2004.
*Pittsburgh won its third consecutive game against the Scarlet Knights at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. Pitt has now defeated Rutgers seven straight times, the longest win streak in the 41-game series. Rutgers still holds a 22-19 edge in the series including a 15-5 advantage in games played in New Brunswick.
*With his 10 points on the afternoon, Chevon Troutman became the 32nd player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point milestone. Troutman (10 points/13 rebounds) finished with his ninth double-double of his career and fifth of the season. He now has 1,005 career points.
*Pittsburgh's senior class of Troutman, Yuri Demetris and Mark McCarroll won their 99th game with the Panthers. Their record stands at 99-18. A victory against Seton Hall would help the three seniors become just the second senior class in school history to win 100-plus games. Last year's senior class of Julius Page, Jaron Brown and Toree Morris are the only senior class to achieve that honor (107-30).
*The victory snapped Pittsburgh's two game losing streak.
*Chris Taft has now reached double figures in nine consecutive games.
Gauchos' Star Sundiata Gaines Getting Major Press At The University Of Georgia
Driven to drive
January 10, 2005 - Gaines plays with purpose
By Charles Shepard -  R.C. Rique/Staff
Georgia's Sundiata Gaines overcame a gunshot wound when he was a child to star for the Bulldogs this season.
The bullet that struck 4-year-old Sundiata Gaines took his sense of fear as it passed through the back of his neck.
"I was about an inch away from dying," said Gaines, Georgia's 18-year-old freshman point guard. "It knocked me to the floor. I really didn't feel nothing. I didn't cry or nothing. I knew I was bleeding, that's all I knew."
Gaines is from South Jamaica, N.Y., a neighborhood of Queens not unlike Atlanta's Techwood Drive area. But the shooting was an accident, and an odd consequence of a polite gesture.
Gaines was outside a copy shop near his home, waiting with his mother Ayanna Kofi for his older brother to come out, when a police officer's gun went off through a brown plastic bag and hit him in the right side of his neck.
Gaines had just opened the door for the policeman to go into the store. The officer stumbled and dropped his bag.
After striking Gaines, the bullet exited just below the base of his skull, leaving a dime-shaped scar.
"From then on, I really never took things lightly," Gaines added. "I always tell myself, when it comes down to a situation that I might not be giving it my all, that I might not have been here, so always in everything I'm giving 100 percent. That's how I've seen everything in life."
The injury kept Gaines in the hospital for two weeks. It required stitches, but no surgury.
"It was one of the roughest times in this family," said Ronnie Gaines, Sundiata's father with whom he has lived since he was 13. "I told my son, 'For some reason, life gave you a second chance.' As he got older, I began seeing this talent this child has."
After Sundiata Gaines scored a career-best 23 points and tied a career-high six assists with no turnovers on Wednesday against Tennessee, the SEC has begun to see that talent as well. South Carolina is next. The Gamecocks (8-4, 0-1 SEC) host the Bulldogs (6-5, 0-1) at 8 tonight.
Developing into a leader
The 6-foot-1 Gaines leads Georgia's youthful team with 35.4 minutes per game. He made a last-second shot to tie Oregon State 65-65 at the end of regulation and led Georgia to a 76-74 win on Dec. 11, and is in the nation's top 30 with 2.6 steals per game.
Gaines drives the lane like he's a Hummer on a Corvette chasis, dodging centers and forwards more than 10 inches taller.
"I ain't never backed down from nobody," Gaines said. "As long as I play basketball, I never will back down from nobody. I'm always going to try to get the job done, I don't care if you're 6 feet or 7 feet."
Gaines has gone to the foul line 65 times, 25 more than the next Georgia player.
"That's his game," coach Dennis Felton said. "He's a big strong guard who knows how to muscle past people and how to use his body to get to the free throw line.
"He expects to dominate you," Felton added. "He expects to beat you. He has a fearlessness. He has the ability, the willingness to take big shots. You have to know him up close to know this, but he plays with a chip on his shoulder, like he's better than you."
Gaines developed his game from playing in the community tournaments his father ran through the Rochdale Village Sports Organization in Jamaica, to helping the New York Gauchos AAU team, with No. 2 Kansas' Russell Robinson and No. 16 Pittsburgh's Ronald Ramon, win three national championships in four seasons.
He has played in the NBA-studded Ruckers summer tournament since he was 16, according to Ronnie Gaines, pairing in the backcourt with Mark Jackson and playing against Stephon Marbury and the like.
Gaines' pedigree includes uncle Dick Gaines, who played at Seton Hall in the late 1950s and his 21.1 points per game in 1956-57 ranks 10th all time for the Pirates.
"He's ready for (the SEC)," Ronnie Gaines said of his son. "He's the type of guy that will always rise to the big game. He likes pressure, and if you tell him he can't guard somebody ... he loves the challenge."
Developing into a player
When he first began recruiting Sundiata, Felton said, Ronnie Gaines was "as skeptical and as pessimistic as any parent I've had an initial conversation with."
"It was the Jim Harrick thing," Ronnie Gaines said, referring to the academic fraud, unethical conduct and disallowed player benefits that landed Georgia on four years of probation last August.
"I got two boxloads of colleges from Kentucky to Connecticut to Stanford, you name the university, they wanted him," Gaines added. "I really wanted him to stay up in the Big East (Conference) so I could see him."
But it was Felton and assistant coach Mike Jones who made the personal connection and won over schools like UConn and Pittsburgh, Clemson and Florida State.
"I've learned about recruiting through the tournaments that I ran. If a coach comes to your home, it's different than an assistant coming to your home," said Ronnie Gaines, who has seen his son play Alabama A&M and Georgia Tech and plans on coming back in February.
Sundiata just wanted to play, and play a lot.
"I didn't require if the team was good or not," he said. "(Other schools) offered playing time, but not like Georgia. They were offering 20 to 25 minutes. Nothing is guaranteed, but when a school says you're going to play 35 to 40 minutes, that's where I'm going.
"They made good on their promise."
Now that Gaines is here, Felton has begun to turn an athlete with plenty of drive into a basketball player with plenty of skill. Gaines may know how to get to the free-throw line, but he stuggles when he gets there. He's hit just 30 of his 65 attempts (46.2 percent).
Part of the reason is that when he arrived in Athens, Gaines' jump shot looked like he was long-snapping a football standing up.
"His left hand was in his shot; he took his shot too far back over his head," Felton said. "Most of the shots he takes now have beautiful arc on them. He had no arc on his shot when he got here.
"He wouldn't have had a chance to become a consistent shooter if we hadn't changed his mechanics. It's only been a couple of months since he's been working on changing his mechanics. There's bound to be some struggle with that."
Gaines has already shown marked improvement in other areas, too, like committing no turnovers to go with six assists against Tennessee.
"He's always been strong. Now he's in the process of developing his skills to exand his game," Felton said. "I think he's serious enough about the game and driven enough that he's going to develop all those skills and develop into a tremendous player."
That couldn't happen anwhere but Georgia, Sundiata Gaines said. Former Gauchos teammates Robinson and Ramon are averaging 16.5 and 24.2 minutes per game for the Jayhawks and Panthers, respectively.
 "Coming here was an opportunity to play as a freshman and get my name out -- see where my game is at in terms of everyone in the country and to get a head start on all the other freshmen in the country," Gaines said. "That's helped me grow. I won't be a normal sophomore."
Sundiata Gaines
CLASS: Freshman
POSITION: Point guard
HEIGHT: 6-foot-1
HOME: Jamaica, N.Y. (Archbishop Molloy High)
NOTEWORTHY: Scored a career-best 23 points and tied a career-high with six assists against Tennessee.
Ajavon, Carson Fuel No. 24 Rutgers Past No. 8 Tennessee, 65-51
 December 29, 2004 PISCATAWAY, NJ The freshmen duo of Essence Carson (Paterson, NJ) and Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ) combined for 34 points as No. 24 Rutgers registered a convincing 65-51 victory over No. 8/8 Tennessee before 7,405 fans on Wednesday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
For the Scarlet Knights (7-2), the victory is the 21st over a ranked opponent in the tenure of head coach C. Vivian Stringer. It's also Stringer's second-ever win over UT's Pat Summitt and her first "On the Banks". The 51 points scored by Tennessee tied for the second-lowest total in school history, behind a 46-point showing against Louisiana Tech on March 26, 1982.
Aside from Ajavon (20 points) and Carson (14 points, 13 rebounds), Rutgers received offensive contributions from Michelle Campbell (Princeton, NJ) with 13 points and five rebounds and Chelsea Newton (Monroe, LA) with 10 points. Rutgers shot 39.3 percent from the floor (24-61) while holding the Lady Vols to just 27.8 percent shooting (15-54).
Rutgers held Tennessee (8-3) to a season-low 16 first-half points, as a stifling Scarlet Knight defense limited the Lady Vols to just four field goals in the first 20 minutes. After falling behind 6-2, RU scored 31 of the games next 41 points, keyed in large part by Ajavon, who came off the bench to score 12 points. Tennessee failed to score for a span of 6:45 in the first half, and was held without a field goal for the final 7:59 of the opening stanza.
The Lady Vols made a brief run in the beginning of the second half to close to within 13 points (36-23), but Rutgers was never seriously threatened and led by as many as 23 points on three different occasions.
Tennessee had just two players score in double figures &Mac246; Shyra Ely (13 points, eight rebounds) and Nikki Anosike (12 points, nine rebounds). The Lady Vols turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 17 Rutgers points, and made only one-of-nine attempts from three-point range.
Rutgers All-America guard Cappie Pondexter (Chicago, IL) made her 2004-05 season debut, playing 15 minutes while scoring her only point from the foul line.
Gaucho Girls Alumni Ajavon Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
SCARLET KNIGHT EARNS FIRST BIG EAST WOMEN&Mac226;S BASKETBALL WEEKLY HONOR
December 20, 2004 PISCATAWAY, NJ &Mac246; Rutgers&Mac226; Matee Ajavon (Newark, NJ) has been named the BIG EAST Conference Women&Mac226;s Basketball Freshman of the Week, the league office has announced.
Ajavon, a 5-8 guard, averaged 12.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in two contests last week. At Temple Dec. 13, she scored a team-high 18 points in 26 minutes off the bench, making seven of 15 (.467) field goals, two of four (.500) three-pointers and both free throws against the Owls while adding five rebounds. Ajavon had six points and tied her career high with a game-best four steals against Clemson Dec. 18. For the season, she is averaging 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Ajavon is the first Scarlet Knight to earn rookie-of-the-week honors since Cappie Pondexter earned the award five times during the 2002-2003 season.
No. 22 Rutgers (6-2) will play three top-10 teams in an eight-day stretch, starting with a home game against No. 9/10 Tennessee Wednesday, Dec. 29, at 5:00 p.m. The game will be shown live on CSTV, and will be carried on WCTC 1450 AM and WRSU 88.7 FM. A live stream of the radio broadcast, as well as live statistics, will be available on www.scarletknights.com.
A winning personality - Bulldogs all smiles after consecutive victories
By Charles Shepard
Allen Sullivan/Staff
Sundiata Gaines wanted the ball in his hands when it came time to hit the game-winning shot against Oregon State.
 Georgia is beginning to show its winning personality.
"Every win for us is good," sophomore guard Levi Stukes said. "Everyone is starting to find their role on our team. Everyone's finding their personality role."
That hasn't been more evident this season than during a 76-74 overtime win over Oregon State on Saturday in Atlanta. Stukes played the leading scorer role he was expected to assume at the start of the season and earned SEC player of the week honors with 31 points while playing the entire game.
Fellow co-captain Steve Newman rebounded from two poor games during which he made just 2-of-11 shots, and was 5 of 8, including three 3s, for a career-high 16 points.
Freshman point guard Sundiata Gaines had his best game at the position - five assists and only two turnovers. During the game's high-pressure moment, Gaines wanted the ball in his hands and delivered a 15-foot leaner at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
"He's really the floor leader on our team," Stukes said of Gaines. "When we needed two points, he came down and hit the tying bucket to send us into overtime."
Said coach Dennis Felton, "I thought we made a major step forward in starting to develop the personality we want all of our teams to have. That's one of tenacity and toughness and a team that understands the value of playing with reckless abandon as far as effort is concerned.
"(Saturday) was the first time this season that I saw the majority of the guys who were playing themselves to total exhaustion," Felton added. "That's a great sign. Obviously it's a benefit to us that we played to that exhaustion in order to win because that gives our young guys a real chance to learn that the effort is worth the reward."
The Bulldogs (3-3) have won two in a row for the first time this season and hope to make it three on Sunday when they host Wofford.
The players have final exams this week and no weeknight game has been scheduled.
While there's plenty for Georgia to be excited about, the Bulldogs' personality still reflects immaturity. A tactical error late in Saturday's game nearly helped Oregon State keep it alive.
With Stukes at the line with a 76-74 lead and 1.6 seconds to play in overtime, the sophomore missed both free throws, the second intentionally under Felton's last-second instruction. But Stukes missed the rim on the second foul shot - a violation - and the Beavers were able to take the ball out of bounds with no time running off the clock.
That gave Oregon State enough time to find forward Nick DeWitz at the opposite foul line for an open look at the basket, but he missed the shot that would have tied the game and sent it to double overtime.
"I've got to do a better job of realizing who we are and our experience level," Felton said. "That was wrong for me to jump up at the spur of the moment and instruct him to miss that free throw. We hadn't taught and reviewed that situation yet. I was assuming that he knew the rule and he didn't. That was my mistake for assuming too much."
Georgia went on scoring droughts of five and three minutes in the first half and found themselves down 36-26 at halftime.
"We've just got to grow, get tougher and start coming out and playing stronger in the first half and stop playing from behind," Gaines said.
Georgia's next four non-conference opponents are a combined 11-19. The Bulldogs open SEC play on Jan. 5 when Tennessee comes to Athens.
"I can't wait (for the SEC)," Newman said. "I just want to surprise some people."
GIDDEN RETURNS HOME TO HELP HOFSTRA END SACRED HEART'S 19-GAME HOME COURT WIN STREAK
 Fairfield, CT -- Sophomore Vanessa Gidden scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to lead Hofstra past Sacred Heart, 67-66, on Saturday afternoon at the William H. Pitt Center. Trailing 66-65 following a pair of free throws from Amanda Pape of Sacred Heart, Hofstra sophomore guard Cigi McCollin scored the game-winning basket with just two seconds on the clock as she got the offensive rebound following a missed attempt from sophomore forward Lana Harshaw.
It marked the second time this year that the Pride have won a game in the final seconds. In Hofstra's home-opener against Colgate on November 23, senior guard Charlotte Baldrey-Chourio drove the length of the court and sank the game-winner with just 1.2 seconds left. Both of the Pride wins that have come in the final moments have come against squads that won 21 games last season, as Colgate went 21-10 and Sacred Heart was 21-8 in 2003-04.
The win ended a three-game losing skid for Hofstra, which improves to 3-3 with the victory. The Pioneers fall to 3-3 on the year, and also saw their 19-game home court winning streak come to an end with the loss. Coming into today's contest, the streak was the seventh longest in the NCAA.
For Gidden, a native of Stamford, Connecticut, the day began well as she tallied the Pride's first 10 points as Hofstra jumped out to a 10-2 lead after a little over six minutes of play. Sacred Heart rebounded from the early deficit though, as they went on 25-9 over the next 8:42 to take a 27-19 advantage with 5:02 left before halftime. Trailing by five with just 1:57 left in the half, the Pride scored the final nine points of the half to lead 36-32 at the break. McCollin would give the Pride the lead with a layup at the one minute mark, and reserve freshman forward Linn Quamme nailed a three-pointer from the left-side with eight seconds left to push the lead up to four.
Hofstra would not trail in the second half until the final minute, as they opened as much as a 10-point lead on several occasions, including the last time (57-47) with 9:41 left in the contest. The Pioneers would slowly chip away at the Pride lead and finally tied the game up at 64 with 1:42 left. Gidden would give Hofstra the advantage back just 27 seconds later with a free throw before Pape's free throws gave the Pioneers the lead (66-65) with 41 seconds remaining. Both teams would miss opportunities on the offensive end over the next 30-plus seconds before Hofstra got three chances in the final three seconds to pull out the victory. The third time proved to be the charm as McCollin pulled down Harshaw's miss and layed in the game-winner with two seconds remaining. Sacred Heart turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and Hofstra ran out the clock to earn its third win of the season.
The 19 points marked the third time this season that Gidden has scored 19 or more points. In her freshman campaign, she tallied 10 points just twice all season. In addition, her 16 rebounds today were a career-high and also rank as the eighth most in a single game in Hofstra Basketball history. McCollin finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four steals. She has now scored in double figures in each of Hofstra's first six games this season.
For Sacred Heart, Pape ended with a game-high 22 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. She also added five steals and three assists. Kerri Burke added 16 points and a game-high six assists. Hofstra held the Pioneers leading scorer, Nicolle Rubino, who came into the game averaging 15.5 points to just three points on 1-9 shooting from the field.
Hofstra returns to action on Friday, December 17 when they host Harvard University at 7 p.m.
Colonials Rout VCU, 69-47 - GW Ends Two-Game Losing Streak
|
|
| Senior Jessica Simmonds led GW with 20 points. |
Dec. 12, 2004 RICHMOND, VA - The GW women's basketball team (4-3) broke its two-game losing streak with a 69-47 trouncing of Virginia Commonwealth (2-3) on Sunday, Dec. 12 at the ALLTEL Pavilion.
Senior Jessica Simmonds paced the Colonials with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field, and connected on eight of her 11 free-throw attempts. Simmonds also tallied eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and three steals against the Rams. Freshman Kimberly Beck tied her personal best with 10 points in the contest. Beck also notched nine steals, becoming the first GW player since Erica Lawrence to record more than seven swipes in a game. The last Colonial to finish with 10 steals or more in a game was Laurie Caan, who tallied 12 against Towson in 1978.
GW trailed just once in the game, 2-0, at the 19:34 mark of the first half after a basket by VCU's Britney Pinkney. From there, GW went on a 14-4 run to take a 14-6 margin with 14 minutes left in the first half. The lead swelled to nine, 18-9, on a pair of free throws by sophomore Corinne Turner at 11:33. The Rams cut GW's lead to five, 20-15, with 8:41 left in the opening stanza on consecutive hoops by Meagan Evans, but the Colonials closed the half with a 10-4 scoring spurt to take a 30-19 advantage at the break.
With GW ahead 38-24 and 14 minutes left in the contest, Simmonds scored the Colonials' next seven points to keep the Rams at bay. A field goal by senior Liz Dancause put GW up by 20, 57-37, at 6:45. Two free throws by Maria Giovannetti got VCU within 16, 57-41, with 5:45 left, but that's as close as they would get.
Senior Anna Montañana added 14 points and seven rebounds against the Rams. She moved into ninth place all-time at GW with 569 career boards. Dancause finished with five points and five rebounds. Her five caroms put her over the 200-rebound plateau for her career. She now has 204.
The Colonials went to the free-throw line 34 times in the game, the most attempts for GW this season, and tied their season high by making 26 (76.5 percent). VCU was 11-of-15 from the charity stripe (73.3 percent) and the Rams outrebounded GW, 49-38. The Colonials forced 29 turnovers and finished the contest with a season-best 16 steals.
GW returns home on Friday, Dec. 17 when it hosts St. Mary's of California at 7:00.
|
All functions listed will be held at:
Gauchos Gymnasium, 478 Gerard Avenue Bronx, NY 10451
Telephone: 718 665-6952 Fax: 718 401-8582
|
|
|
|
