The rap that Rutgers had laid on UTC all week long was that they had not beaten anybody good all season. Well, now they have, 74-69.

Rutgers came into town for the first round of the women’s NCAA tournament all the way from snow-covered New Jersey with a significant advantage in basketball’s great un-equalizer, height. They also were used to playing a different brand of basketball than the Lady Mocs. It was more “street,” more “playground.” They were tough. Very tough. And they had played tougher competition all year. They took the court at the beginning like they knew they were tougher, and they led most of the game.

In the end, though, UTC won because they were a better team, not better individuals. One-on-one, UTC probably could not match up with Rutgers. But as a team, they were better, and it showed at the end when it really counted. You could sense a collective inter-reliance, which some people call “teamwork,” that was not going to be denied. Rutgers, on the other hand was playing more of a “give me the ball and I’ll score” brand of basketball. And they did have some folks who knew how to go to the hoop.

But there was no belief in the end, and it showed. To UTC’s credit, they had gotten used to winning, even if it was against less dominant foes. In the first half, after playing even with Rutgers for a few minutes, UTC fell behind by as much as 11 points, and it was not looking good. They were clearly outclassed on an individual basis. They couldn’t find the basket, and shots that they had taken for granted all season long were being blocked.

But the UTC girls did not quit. That was the key.

Before the first half ended, they started a comeback. It was sparked when Miranda Warfield drained a three-pointer from the right side, and suddenly McKenzie Arena lit up. Finally, a shot had gone in.

From then on, it was a long climb back. Mid-way through the second half, UTC caught up to Rutgers and then took the lead. One key shot was launched by Katie Galloway with one second left on the shot-clock almost without looking from 40 feet away. It banked in. Another crowd explosion. UTC then fended off Rutgers for the rest of the game, but it wasn’t really decided until there were two seconds left, when Galloway stepped up to the free-throw line and dropped two for a five-point lead.

One UTC player who stepped up huge throughout was Nicole Mattison, who basically said to the Rutgers team: “Look, girls, I can play it just as tough as you can.” I think Rutgers thought she should be playing for them. A second was Tiffany Patton, who often does not share in the local limelight. Time and time again, she made key rebounds, key blocks, key assists, key picks, and key set ups. I think she let Rutgers know that these polite little Southern ladies were not going to be pushed around.

In the end, though, everybody contributed to this win. And it will be part of the legacy they will leave regardless of what happens in the next round against Vanderbilt.

UTC had not made it past the first round of the NCAA tournament until now. Wins like this build respect.

The local media did a better job in getting the word out about the game than they have in the past. Still, at the start of the game, a lot of the local crowd had not arrived for the 11:00 a.m. start time. The atmosphere was muted, and basketball is the sport where the home court advantage is greater than in any other. The crowd is the sixth player, so the UTC ladies were playing without that help at the beginning, and this may have contributed to their cold start. By the end though, the place was breathing fire. The UTC women showed everyone that they can win big ones. Let’s hope the local populace picks up on the message.

The Rutgers coach was complaining about the officiating after the game. Yeah, UTC went to the foul-line more frequently, but Rutgers’ rougher play put them there. The refs didn’t win the game, lady. You got beat. You got beat by a better team.