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December 14, 2008 - Four of the country’s best Women’s College Basketball teams tipped-off today at Madison Square Garden for a great cause. The Maggie Dixon Classic Women’s Doubleheader opened with Rutgers vs. Army followed by UConn vs Penn State. This event honors the memory of Maggie Dixon, the former Head Coach of the Army Women’s Basketball team, who passed away of a congenital heart ailment at the age of 28, just weeks after leading Army to their first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. I’d heard of Maggie Dixon before, but was surprised to learn she grew up a couple miles from where I live in Los Angeles and attended Notre Dame, the nearby Catholic high school. Once I started mentioning her name, I ran into all sorts of people who remembered watching her play in the 90’s. The local connection piqued my interest in the tournament and I was pleased to find out that Madison Square Garden and C.A.R.E. teamed up to offer FREE HEART SCREENINGS to all fans. Also, a portion of the proceeds from the event benefit C.A.R.E. - an organization that works to fund research and raise awareness of sudden cardiac death due to acquired heart disease and inherited rhythm disorders. So what about the basketball? Well in the opener, No. 14 Rutgers beat Army 59 - 38. Growing up in New York, Rutgers’ Epiphanny Prince has always been comfortable playing in the Garden. The Brooklyn native was instrumental in leading her high school to four consecutive public school championships playing at there. Today, Prince scored 25 points and Kia Vaughn added a season-high 12 to help Rutgers beat in the first game of the Maggie Dixon Classic. In the second game of the doubleheader, Tina Charles had 29 points and 18 rebounds to help top-ranked Connecticut beat Penn State 77-63. Connecticut, who had been on an 11-day break for exams, struggled to put away Penn State. The rust showed as Connecticut was sloppy in the early going but Charles took over and her double double made the big difference in the game. Sad that the event even had to take place but some great basketball nonetheless.

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