Center Kia Vaughn scored 22, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots to lead the Scarlet Knights.,”

Barring a meeting in the NCAA tournament, the Golden Eagles will have to wait until next year for another shot at Connecticut after falling 63-55 to No. 2 seed Rutgers Monday night in the Big East tournament semifinals.

Center Kia Vaughn scored 22, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots to lead the Scarlet Knights. Guard Matee Ajavon added 20 points.

Sophomore Krystal Ellis led No. 3 seed Marquette with 20 points but scored only six in the second half and committed five turnovers. Senior Christina Quaye, the team's leading scorer in conference play, scored a season-low four points on 2-of-13 shooting.

Marquette led 33-31 at halftime. Ellis hit a trio of three-pointers in the game's first three minutes to help give the Golden Eagles an early 8-point lead.

But Marquette also committed several early fouls, letting Rutgers climb back into the game on 10-of-13 free throw shooting in the first half.

Quaye, coming off an 18-point performance in Sunday's 61-51 win over Pittsburgh, did not score in the second half.

Rutgers used a 10-0 run in the middle of the second half to take the lead for good. Marquette climbed within four with just over three minutes to play, but got no closer.

A win would have sent the Golden Eagles to their first-ever Big East championship game to face No. 1 seed Connecticut. The Huskies went undefeated in the Big East regular season and posted wins of 20 points over South Florida on Sunday and 28 over Louisville on Monday to cruise into the title game.

The Golden Eagles gave the Huskies their biggest scare in conference play but came up short in a 52-48 Connecticut win on Feb. 3 at the Al McGuire Center.

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