NEWARK, NJ – Senior guard Sabrina Sanchez (Keasbey, NJ/Woodbridge HS) had 18 points, including four 3-point jumpers, as Rutgers-Newark rained down 13 treys on Staten Island to fuel an 83-63 non-conference women's basketball victory in The Golden Dome.
NCAA Box Score
Sanchez had 11 of her points in the opening period when the Scarlet Raiders (3-1) connected on 10 of 16 3-point attempts to power their way to a 50-29 lead at intermission.
RAIDER VISION HIGHLIGHT VIDEO
Senior guard Nerlande Nicolas (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) added 13 points, five steals and five assists for the Raiders who also got 15 points and six rebounds from senior center Stephanie Ross (Nutley, NJ/Nutley). Sophomore forward Courtney Vacca (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) hauled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with eight points sophomore reserve forward Renee Edwards (Montville, NJ/West Milford) added eight rebounds, six points and two assists in just 14 minutes.
The Raiders forced 11 turnovers in the opening period and connected on 19 of 37 field goal tries in the period.
After a 3-point jumper by Nicole Estrada gave the visitors a 21-20 lead with 11:10 left in the half, Rutgers-Newark reeled off 15 unanswered points behind three consecutive 3-pointers by Nicolas, Sanchez and senior forward Toni Roselli (Garfield, NJ/Garfield). Sophomore forward Indhira Cabrera (West New York, NJ/Memorial), who finished with eight rebounds and six points, muscled inside for back-to-back buckets before junior guard Youngor Kehleay (Eatontown, NJ/Monmouth Regional) knocked down a jumper with 5:31 left to make it 35-21.
Ross put back a missed shot just 11 seconds into the second half to give the Raiders their biggest lead at 52-29 and the Dolphins never got closer than 13 points in the second period.
Junior guard Melanie D'Ambrosi poured in a game-high 19 points with two assists and two steals to pace the Dolphins (2-2). Sophomore guard Kristen Panariello chipped in 15 points, five rebounds and four steals for CSI.
Five different Raiders knocked down treys with Ross and Kehleay each making both of their tries. Roselli drained three of six from beyond the arc while Nicolas hit two of five. Sanchez launched a dozen shots from 3-point range.
The Raider women and men host Medgar Evers in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday in The Golden Dome. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30 in their home opener.
