OKLAHOMA CIY – After an 80-52 upset last week over No. 2 Auburn, C. Vivian Stringer and the Scarlet Knights were unable to pull off another upset tonight against. Rutgers was boiled over by Purdue 67-61 in Oklahoma City, eliminated the team in the Sweet 16.

Despite a combined 34 points from junior guards Brittany Ray and Epiphanny Prince, the Scarlet Knights could not rally to closer than two down after facing a 14-point deficit midway through the second half.

Rutgers finished its season with a record of 21-13 in the final season for center Kia Vaughn and forward Heather Zurich.

Vaughn, a likely first round WNBA Draft pick, scored 10 points and had 11 boards in her final game as Zurich contributed two key points and five boards.

With the Rutgers men’s basketball team’s season long over, the eyes in Piscataway turn over to the women’s team who just took down No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth 57-51 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Scarlet Knights drew a No. 7 seed and have two games on their home court, the Louis Brown Athletic Center, before a potential trip to Oklahoma City.

In the win over VCU, junior guard Epiphanny Prince carried the Scarlet Knights with 26 points, 11 rebounds and four steals and senior center Kia Vaughn gave the Knights another 13 and six.

After the win, Rutgers will face No. 2 Auburn (28-3) Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the RAC.

Auburn defeated Lehigh 85-49 earlier in the day at the RAC.

This weekend marks Homecoming weekend here in Piscataway. The highlight of the weekend will be Rutgers hosting Connecticut Saturday in RU’s third Big East match of the year, but there will be plenty else going on.

Friday night is Midknight Madness. This will be the debut of the 2008-09 Rutgers men’s basketball team that is returning all five starters from last season and adding highly touted freshman Mike Rosario to the mix.

At halftime of the UConn vs. Rutgers game Saturday, four former Scarlet Knights will be honored as the Annual Award winners from the 2007-08 school year. Former Rutgers running back and now Baltimore Raven Ray Rice will be honored David A. “Sonny” Werblin Award, given to a male or female student-athlete who, either as an individual or as a member of a team, received national recognition or won a national championship during the previous school year. Former linebacker Brandon Renkart will be presented with the Donald Leslie Coursen Memorial Perpetual Award. Former tennis star Katrina Elder-Bush is the recipient of the Headley-Singer Award and US Olympic soccer star Carli Lloyd will also be honored at halftime after earning a gold medal in the Beijing Games.

Sunday afternoon is the Rutgers women’s basketball team’s chance to shine as head coach C Vivian Stringer (in her 14^th year with Rutgers) presents her new team to the public including five McDonald’s All-Americans and the nation’s top recruit in April Sykes.