NEWARK, NJ (02/11/09) – Despite a team-high 10 points and eight rebounds from junior center Courtney Vacca (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) the Scarlet Raiders (10-13, 4-7 NJAC) dropped their third straight, falling to New Jersey Athletic Conference rival William Paterson (17-6, 9-3 NJAC), 45-34.
NCAA Box Score and Play-By-Play
Freshman guard Jared Tactuk (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) chipped in eight points while grabbing four rebounds and nabbing four steals, while fellow freshman Shatanay McCaskill (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) hauled in seven boards. Senior Youngor Kehleay (Eatontown, NJ/Monmouth Regional) added five points and three assists in the loss.
Trailing 3-0 in the early going, following a Julie Haledjian layup just seconds after the opening tip and an Absatu Mustapha free-throw, the Scarlet Raiders mounted a 10-0 run over the next eight minutes of action to take a 10-3 lead.
Kehleay and Vacca combined for nine of the Raiders' 10 points during the run as a stout Rutgers-Newark defense held William Paterson without a field goal for nine minutes following the game's opening basket.
Junior guard Jillian Kane would end the William Paterson field goal drought with a layup at the 11 minute mark, sparking a 7-2 Pioneer run to cut the William Paterson deficit to two.
Tactuk would give the Scarlet Raiders a little breathing room, netting four straight points to stake Rutgers-Newark to a 16-10 advantage, before an 8-0 Pioneer run capped off by a BriAnna Lucas triple gave William Paterson a two point edge with just 40 seconds left in the half.
But Fageyinbo would knot the game on the Scarlet Raiders ensuing possession with a jumper that pulled the Scarlet Raiders even at 18 entering the intermission.
Sophomore forward April Smith would put the Pioneers ahead early in the second half, netting the stanza's first four points on back-to-back baskets to give William Paterson a 22-18 lead.
Down four just shy of the 17 and a half minute mark, Tactuk would connect from long distance for her first trey of the afternoon, cutting the Scarlet Raider deficit to one.
William Paterson would respond as Mustapha and Smith spearheaded a 12-4 Pioneer run combining for 10 of William Paterson's points during the stretch to increase the Pioneer lead to nine.
Fageyinbo would quell the Scarlet Raider dry spell with a layup at 9:48, cutting the lead to 34-27, but the Pioneers would outscore their Rutgers-Newark counterparts 11-7 down the stretch, sealing the victory.
Smith totaled a team-high 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Mustapha added 11 points and seven boards in the win.
The Scarlet Raiders will look to bounce back on Saturday, February 14 when they play host to Montclair State during senior night at the Golden Dome.
