CINCINNATI — Three baskets in the final 20 minutes. How's that for defense?

Few play it as well as No. 5 Rutgers.

Kia Vaughn had season highs with 17 points and 21 rebounds, and Heather Zurich added a career-high 16 points last night, leading the Scarlet Knights to a 71-41 victory over Cincinnati.

Relying on a versatile offense and a stifling defense, Rutgers (16-2, 6-0 Big East) has won its last 11 games, its best streak since it ran off 13 in a row in 2005-06. The Scarlet Knights are off to their best start overall in 17 years.

"We just wanted to keep the momentum on our side in the second half and keep them down," Vaughn said.

In the second half, they swatted them away. Cincinnati (10-8, 1-5) missed 21 of its first 22 shots and went only 3-of-28 from the field in the final 20 minutes.

"After halftime, they decided they weren't even going to let us look at the basket," Bearcats coach J. Kelley Hall said.

Rutgers finished with its season high in points and matched its season low with nine turnovers. Coach C. Vivian Stringer called it probably the most complete game of the season.

"We needed a game like this, and we need a lot more, to be honest with you, before we play the teams that we're going to play against," Stringer said.

The Scarlet Knights had only four turnovers while pulling ahead 41-28 in the first half. A 16-5 run to open the second half started the blowout.