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Monday, November 22, 2004 By Mike Ballard RAPTOR OF THE WEEK Junior Megan Rulon didn't take long to display her talents this season. In the consolation game of the Wingate Invitational at Messiah College, Rulon tied her career high of 25 points and added a career-high 10 blocked shots as the Rutgers-Camden women’s basketball team defeated Wilkes University, 73-66. She also had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the opening-game 59-51 loss to Houghton, and was named to the all-tournament team. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (1-1)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE Junior center Megan Rulon (Sewell, NJ/Clearview Regional) collected a game-high 25 points, tying her career high, and notched a career-high 10 blocked shots to power the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team over Wilkes University, 73-66, in the consolation game of the Wingate Invitational at Messiah College Nov. 20. In the championship game, host Messiah defeated Houghton, 60-48, as Kristin Sassaman scored 14 points to lead four players in double figures. Houghton received a game-high 21 points from Sarah Bishop. Rulon paced three players in double figures for the Lady Raptors (1-1), who rebounded from Friday night’s 59-51 loss to Houghton in their tournament opener. The 10 blocks broke her previous career high of eight, set at Gwynedd-Mercy College in the NCAA Tournament March 5, 2003. Her 25 points tied the career high she accomplished twice previously, most recently against St. Mary’s College Jan. 19, 2004. Rulon, who was named to the all-tournament team, shot 9-for-15 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from three-point range for the Lady Raptors, who rallied from a 34-30 halftime deficit. Sophomore guard Kelly Stafford (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester) notched 17 points and tied for a game-high six assists for the Raptors, while freshman guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) added 13 points and tied Stafford with a team-high two steals. Hafiz also tied freshman guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) with a game-high seven rebounds, while Rulon added six. Rutgers-Camden won the game at the foul line, going 25-for-33 from the charity stripe (75.8 percent), while Wilkes went 13-for-24 (54.2). Stafford went 9-for-11 from the line, while Hafiz made seven out of nine foul shots. Wilkes placed four players in double figures, paced by junior guard Andrea Kacprowicz, who scored 15 and tied Stafford with her six assists for game-high honors. Freshman forward Lacey Andresen and senior forward Andrea DeMaranville each scored 13 points, while freshman center Karyn Perestam added 10. In the tourney’s opening game, sophomore guard Meredith Grausam and sophomore forward Sarah Bishop each scored 15 points to power Houghton College (NY) over Rutgers-Camden, 59-51, Nov. 19. In the nightcap, host Messiah defeated Wilkes University, 90-48, to advance to the title game. The Lady Raptors fell into an early 22-11 hole before rallying within two points midway through the second half, but Houghton held on to post its opening-night victory. For Rutgers-Camden, Rulon collected 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Stafford notched 12 points and dished off five assists. Jankowski had nine rebounds and seven points in her first collegiate game, while junior guard/forward Lisa Geiger (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester) added seven rebounds and six points. Bishop added a game-high 15 rebounds for the Highlanders, who held a 27-18 halftime lead. Grausam, who nailed five three-pointers in the game, went 4-for-4 from long range in the opening half. Freshman forward Ashley Scudder collected nine points and four rebounds for Houghton. MEN'S BASKETBALL (0-2)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE Tues., Nov. 23 Richard Stockton College 8 p.m. Senior guard Tyrone Rucker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) was named to the all-tournament team, but the Scarlet Raptors lost both their games at the season-opening Seventh Annual Dr. Kleppinger Tip-Off Classic at Alvernia College Nov. 19-20. The Raptors lost to host Alvernia, 92-52, in their opener Nov. 19, and then dropped a 78-72 decision against Hood College in the consolation game Nov. 20. In the consolation game, sophomore guard/forward Santo Provenzano scored a game-high 27 points and Hood weathered a strong comeback to outlast Rutgers-Camden. In the championship game, John Carroll University, ranked No. 13 in the pre-season d3hoops.com national poll, defeated host Alvernia College, 103-102 in double overtime. Michael Grogan scored 23 points for the champions, while Damon Bogan had 23 for the Crusaders. The Scarlet Raptors (0-2) held early leads of 3-0 and 6-2 before Hood took the first-half lead for good, 7-6, on a fast break layup by sophomore guard/forward David Wilson with 15:25 remaining. That field goal was part of a 10-0 run for the Blazers, which helped Hood rally from a 6-2 deficit to a 12-6 lead. The Blazers built the lead to 40-34 at the half and increased the margin to 14 points (58-44) in the second half before the Scarlet Raptors rallied. Trailing, 64-51, the Scarlet Raptors went on a 6-0 run, sparked by three straight field goals from sophomore guard/forward Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) to cut the gap to 64-57. They cut the gap to 65-64 with 4:36 remaining on a jumper by freshman guard Amir Fantroyal (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek). A three-pointer by Fantroyal with 4:10 remaining forged a 67-67 tie, but Hood bounced back to take a 71-67 lead. The Raptors pulled within one point, 71-70, on a trey by freshman guard Kenny Yu (Queens, NY/Townsend Harris) with 2:23 remaining. The Blazers’ freshman center Jesse Gutekunst, however, notched back-to-back layups at 2:01 and 1:25, giving Hood the lead for good, 75-70. Hood stretched the lead to 76-70 before Rucker hit a pair of foul shots with 31 seconds left, making it 76-72. The Raptors forced a turnover, but missed a three-point attempt and were forced to foul. With 23 seconds left, Hood sophomore forward Dennis Tressler hit a pair of foul shots for the final margin. In addition to the big game by Provenzano, the Blazers received 17 points from Tressler, 13 from sophomore forward Sean Robine and 11 by Wilson. Gutekunst had 14 rebounds, while Robine added 11 as the Blazers held a dominating 55-19 advantage off the boards. The Scarlet Raptors received 21 points from Nicholson, while Rucker notched 16, Yu added 14 and Fantroyal canned 12. Freshman forward/center Anthony Guenovski (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern) led Rutgers-Camden with six rebounds. The Scarlet Raptors’ Rucker and Hood’s Provenzano were each named to the all-tournament team, along with Alvernia’s Bogan and John Carroll’s Brandon Mimes and tourney MVP Peter Koch. In their season opener, the Raptors saw Alvernia College place five players in double figures, led by freshman forward Bogan and junior guard Mike Brock, as it defeated Rutgers-Camden, 92-52, in the nightcap of a doubleheader. In the opening game, John Carroll toppled Hood, 76-62. Mimes had 18 points and nine rebounds for the winners, while John Curran added 12 points. Provenzano scored 23 to pace Hood. Alvernia received 21 points from Bogan and 17 from Brock as it handed the Scarlet Raptors their worst defeat since a 104-55 loss at New Jersey City University Feb. 7, 2004. It was Rutgers-Camden’s worst opening-day defeat since a 76-31 loss at Widener University Nov. 18, 1994. Bogan added a game-high 12 rebounds for the Crusaders. The Scarlet Raptors fell into a 43-21 halftime hole in a game in which they never led. Rutgers-Camden was tied only once, at 2-2. Trailing, 27-17, the Raptors watched the Crusaders rattle off a 14-0 run to put the game out of reach. In the opening half, junior forward Zachary Straining scored 11 points, while Brock netted nine. Bogan and freshman forward Chris Talley each added eight first-half points for the Crusaders. For the Raptors, Rucker notched 11 first-half points on his way to a team-high 17. The only other Raptor to finish in double figures was freshman forward Ryan Evans (Medford, NJ/Shawnee), who notched 10 points. Nicholson had nine rebounds to lead the Raptors, who were out-rebounded, 43-32. Senior guard Paul Smith (Vineland, NJ/Vineland) paced the team with five assists. In addition to Bogan and Brock, Alvernia received 13 points from junior guard Lamar Brickus, 12 from Talley and 11 from Straining. |
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