The Syracuse women’s basketball team nearly pulled off its second upset versus No. 7 Rutgers in as many years, but ultimately fell, 69-61, at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J., on Sunday.

Syracuse closed Rutgers’ lead to 48-45 with 7:19 remaining before the Scarlet Knights opened an 11-2 run to seal the win.

Cappie Pondexter led Rutgers (16-5, 7-2 Big East) and all scorers with 21 points. Syracuse (11-10, 3-7) freshman guard Jessica Richter picked up her first-career double-double, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Forward Chineze Nwagbo added 11 points and 10 rebounds. SU shot 66.7 percent in the second half, but still couldn’t catch the Knights. A season-high 26 turnovers hurt the Orange.

Syracuse returns to action on Wednesday at Villanova at 7:30 p.m.

Sophomore Aulton Kohn won his fourth 60-meter dash in five tries at the Syracuse Invitational at Manley Field House this weekend. Kohn also won the 200-meter race in 21.84 seconds.

Sophomore Shelby Perkins took the women’s 5,000-meter run, setting a personal best of 18:24.94 and senior Jenna Grimaldi won the high jump. Sophomore Jessyca Jackson broke her own SU indoor record in her pole vault victory.

Freshman Brittany Pryor reached the NCAA provisional mark in the shot put, throwing 51-0.25.

The indoor track and field team heads to Bucknell next weekend for the Bison Winter Classic, its last meeting before the Carrier Dome hosts the Big East Championships on Feb. 19-20.

SU’s Big East opener came down to Ashley Lipton’s No. 3 singles match, and the sophomore came through, defeating St. John’s Kristina Bothova, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3).

Lipton’s win propelled SU to a 4-3 victory over the Red Storm at Alley Pond Tennis Center in Queens on Friday. No. 1 singles Victoria Vaynberg and No. 4 singles Carolina Huignard also won for the Orange (2-1, 1-0). SU also swept the three doubles matches.

SU traveled to Massachusetts on Sunday too. Results were not available.

Syracuse returns to action on Saturday, hosting Binghamton at 1 p.m.

In its final dual meet of the season, the Syracuse men’s swimming and diving team defeated Villanova, 160-78, while the women fell, 139-89, on Saturday at the Villanova Swim Center.

Freshman diver Tony McKenna broke the SU women’s record in the one-meter dive with a score of 288.37 points. That dive broke Samantha Linke’s 1997 mark of 277.80 points.

Junior Pat Mugavin won the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle races for SU. Junior Rob Persico added wins in the 400-individual medley and 100-backstroke, while sophomore Luk Boral took the 200-freestyle and 100-breaststroke.

The Big East Championship begins on Feb. 16 at the Nassau County Aquatics Center in Uniondale.

Published on February 6, 2005 at 12:00 pm