GLASSBORO, NJ – Senior guard Youngor Kehleay (Eatontown, NJ/Monmouth Regional HS) poured in a career-high 26 points and added a game-high five steals plus four assists, but a pair of free throws with four seconds left lifted Rowan to a 66-65 New Jersey Athletic Conference victory in Esby Gym.
NCAA Box Score & Play-by-Play
Rowan freshman guard Nancy White, who finished with five points, dropped in the free throws to cap an improbable 16-0 run over the final 3:05 of the contest.
Kehleay drained a career-high eight 3-point jumpers on 13 attempts to better her previous career scoring mark by eight points. The 5-foot-6 point guard has now knocked down 20 treys – in 43 tries – over the past four games.
Freshman guard Jared Tactuk (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) hit three 3-pointers on her way to 15 points. She also chipped in five assists and four steals. Junior center Courtney Vacca (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds – all on the defensive end – plus eight points, four blocked shots, four assists and two steals. Freshman forward Shatanay McCaskill (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) grabbed nine rebounds to help Rutgers-Newark gain a 35-32 edge in that category.
A layup by senior forward Bimpe Fageyinbo (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills) gave Rutgers-Newark (8-10, NJAC 2-5) a hefty 65-50 lead with 3:15 left. Fageyinbo finished with nine points, four assists and two steals.
But, the Profs (10-7, NJAC 4-4) got back-to-back 3-point jumpers from sophomore guard Gina Catanzariti to ignite the decisive rally. Junior forward Amanda Jennings hit consecutive baskets in the paint to trim the Raider lead to five with 58 ticks left.
Freshman guard Alissa Lamey and junior forward Jessica Nimbley dropped in two free throw each in the final 21 seconds to set the stage for White's game winning charity tosses. Rutgers-Newark missed its only field goal and foul shot during the collapse and committed five of its 30 turnovers.
Catanzarita paced the Profs with 18 points while Nimbley and Jennings added 14 apiece.
The Raiders rolled out to a 40-16 lead with just over five minutes left in the opening period and appeared to be on their way to an easy win. But Rowan handed the team its four consecutive NJAC loss.
Rutgers-Newark made 11 of 22 shots from beyond the arc, totaling 11 treys for the second time in three games, and made 47.1% of its field goals overall, but its turnover total and a six-for-12 day at the foul line proved to be too much to overcome.
Rutgers-Newark hosts New Jersey City in an NJAC doubleheader on Wednesday in The Golden Dome. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30.
