GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rutgers-Newark women's basketball team outlasted a fourth quarter comeback by Rowan to win, 46-42 on Saturday.
It was Senior Night and guard
Olivia Rulon (sr. Cape May Court House, NJ/Wildwood Catholic) was honored for her dedication to the women's basketball program before the game.
With the win, the Scarlet Raiders are 13-11 overall, with a 10-7 New Jersey Athletic Conference record. The Profs are 14-10 and 12-5 in the conference.
Guard/forward Dorian Capurso (fr. Little Ferry, NJ/Ridgefield Park) led Rutgers-Newark with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Guard/forward Hannah Ashby (jr. Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) and guard Louise Ann Borja (jr. Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) followed with seven points each and guard Faith Ashby (sr. Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) added six points and 10 boards.
Center
Ayanna Johnson (fr. Ewing, NJ/The Pennington School) produced a double-double for Rowan on 12 points and 15 rebounds. Guard
Dominique Peters (jr. Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) was next with 10 points and 12 boards. Guards
Alexis Kriley (so. Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) and Rulon chipped in seven points apiece.
The Brown and Gold trailed at the start of the final quarter, 36-27. Rowan started slow as Rutgers-Newark extended its lead to 11 (42-31) after a layup from Capurso with 7:27 remaining. The Profs answered with an 11 point surge to tie the game at 42. Johnson and Rulon hit back-to-back layups and guard
Kennedy Brown (fr. Newark, DE/The Tatnall School) converted two free throws (5:57). Johnson made another layup (5:10), followed by Rulon's game-tying three at 4:25. Rutgers-Newark slowly pulled away as Capurso nailed four free throws over the next few minutes of play for the win.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the opening period for both sides. Rowan would trail by six (12-6) after Hannah Ashby sunk a jumper at 3:50. The Profs went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 12. Peters drained a jumper (3:41), while Johnson and guard
Jessica Beck (fr. Glassboro, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) each made a layup. The Scarlet Raiders would tack on a free throw with one second remaining in the first to lead 13-12 heading into the second.
Rowan slipped in the second as they were outscored 17-4 and Rutgers-Newark held a 30-16 advantage going into halftime. The Brown and Gold opened the third with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 30-24 with 8:06 left. Peters had four points, while Johnson and Kriley had two points apiece. A layup by Faith Ashby put the Scarlet Raiders up 32-24 (4:40). Hannah Ashby made two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to give Rutgers-Newark a 36-27 advantage heading into the fourth.
The women's basketball team wraps up the regular season at Kean University on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.
