POMONA, NJ – Junior guard Jared Tactuk scored 14 of her game-high 20-points in the second half, but a Rutgers-Newark rally fell short in a 54-49 loss to Richard Stockton in the RSC Sports Center.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Down by a dozen with 16:18 left, Tactuk netted nine points to spark a 14-1 Raider run that gave Rutgers-Newark its first lead since the opening minutes. A 3-point jumper by senior forward Jaleesa Coleman capped the rally to give Rutgers-Newark a 37-36 lead with 11:22 left and set the stage for a see-saw finish.

There were six lead changes plus a tie over the next six minutes before sophomore guard Aspen Price-Perry knocked down a jump shot to put the Ospreys ahead for good at 44-43 with 5:01 remaining. Tactuk hit a jumper to trim the deficit to 46-45 with 4:10 left and a 3-point jumper to cut the Stockton lead to 50-48 with 33 seconds to go. But, Cha'Na Thompson and Price-Perry each made a pair of free throws in the final 22 seconds to stave off the Raiders.

Tactuk finished with four rebounds, a team-high three assists and two steals while Coleman poured in 10 of her 18 points in the first period to keep the Raiders within striking distance. Coleman, who hit three treys, also had seven rebounds and a game-high five steals.

Tactuk and Coleman accounted for all but 11 of Rutgers-Newark's points. Freshman forward Jasmine Daniels had four points and sophomore guard Kristen Venning finished with three points and five rebounds. Freshman forward Anthonia Ajumobi pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, blocked a shot and netted two points while junior guard Brittany Smith snared six rebounds and dished off a pair of assists.

Junior center LaTonya Oliver came up with 13 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead a balanced Stockton effort. Senior forward Julia Fagan and freshman forward Lauren Alwan scored 10 points apiece while Thompson finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Perry-Price came off the bench for seven key points, three rebounds and three assists for the Ospreys (11-5, NJAC 5-1).

Oliver capped an early 16-2 rally with a conventional 3-point play to give the Ospreys an 18-5 lead with 11:28 left in the first period. Oliver had seven points and Alwan, six, in the spree to account for all of Stockton's points except for a 3-point jumper by Price-Perry. The Raiders trimmed the deficit to 20-15 on a Daniels jumper with 8:37 left in the period, but Stockton took a 33-21 lead into the half.

Rutgers-Newark (13-5, NJAC 4-4) hosts Berkeley College (NY) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in The Golden Dome before starting a run of five straight NJAC games.