Stringer wins No. 800 as Rutgers beats DePaul
The 800-win club has a new member: C. Vivian Stringer.
Stringer joined Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt as the only women's basketball coaches to win 800 games as No. 4 Rutgers beat DePaul 60-46 on Wednesday night in Piscataway, N.J.
"No one is more respected than Pat and Jody," Stringer said. "To be mentioned in the same breath is humbling."
Knowing it was a special night, DePaul coach Doug Bruno had his entire team shake Stringer's hand during warmups. Bruno also coached DePaul when Summitt beat the Blue Demons for her 800th.
Essence Carson scored 20 points and Epiphanny Prince 15 to lead Rutgers (23-4, 13-1 Big East), which moved into a tie with UConn atop the Conference. The Huskies visit DePaul on Saturday, and the Scarlet Knights host Syracuse before a showdown Monday night with the Huskies in Hartford.
Everyone in the crowd was given signs marking the 800th victory. With 30 seconds left they gave the Hall of Fame coach a standing ovation and chanted her initials. When the clock reached zero, Carson threw her coach the game ball.
"It was her ball, she deserved it," Carson said.
Afterward, each player gave Stringer a single red rose, which made her tear up.
"I tried to think about other things so that I wouldn't cry," Stringer said.
She addressed the crowd and thanked fans for their support.
"I've been blessed with great players and coaches. Not only from the players that are here, but the players over the years. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've been the most fortunate person in the world, because every day I wake up and I'm so excited to coach basketball.
DePaul, which averages nearly 80 points, had season lows in points and field goal percentage (.305). The Blue Demons (18-9, 7-7) had no answer for the Scarlet Knights' matchup zone.
Baylor 76, Colorado 62: Angela Tisdale scored 30 points, including 17 on free throws, to lead host No. 8 Baylor (24-3, 12-2 Big 12) over Colorado (15-12, 4-10). Rachel Allison had 13 points and Kelli Griffin 11 for Baylor.
Men
Memphis 82, Tulsa 67: Willie Kemp scored 14 points and keyed a first half Memphis (27-1, 13-0 Conference USA) rally, leading the host No. 2 Tigers to a win over Tulsa (15-11, 6-7). Kemp was 5-for-10 from the field, including 4-for-7 outside the 3-point arc, as five Tigers scored in double figures.
Kansas 75, Iowa St. 64: Darrell Arthur had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush each added 15 points, and No. 6 Kansas (25-3, 10-3 Big 12) beat Iowa State (14-14, 4-9) to snap a two-game road losing streak. The Jayhawks led by as much as 22 midway through the second half but had to hold off the Cyclones down the stretch.
Penn St. 65, Iowa 64: D.J. Jackson completed a 3-point play with just under 20 seconds left to lift host Penn State (13-14, 5-10 Big Ten) to a comeback victory over Iowa (12-17, 5-11). Jackson completed a putback attempt with 18.1 seconds left despite a foul by Dan Bohall to tie the game 64-64, then hit the free throw to give the Nittany Lions the win.
Jake Kelly led the Hawkeyes with 17 points.
Illinois St. 68, Creighton 54: Anthony Slack scored 15 points and had a career-high 20 rebounds to lead host Illinois State (21-8, 12-5 Missouri Valley) over Creighton (19-9, 9-8). Osiris Eldridge added 15 points and Levi Dyer and Boo Richardson 13 apiece for Illinois State, which swept the regular-season series with Creighton for the first time since 1997-1998.
IUPUI 89, Chicago St. 75: Gary Patterson scored 27 points to lead IUPUI (23-6) over host Chicago State (11-17). David Holston had 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and added a game-high 8 assists for Chicago State.