NEWARK, NJ – Junior guard Jared Tactuk led a balanced Rutgers-Newark attack with 20 points in a 63-48 win over The College of New Jersey in the opening round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

With the win Rutgers-Newark advances to the semifinals on Wednesday against defending champion and South Division top seed Kean University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The Scarlet Raiders also completed the first sweep of TCNJ in history when combined with the 60-56 regular-season win in The Golden Dome.

Tactuk had a dozen of her game-high total in the opening half when the Raiders (18-8) shook off a 5-minute, 30-second drought to start the game by posting a 23-18 halftime edge.

Senior forward Jaleesa Coleman netted 13 of her 16 points after the break when the Raiders pulled away in the closing minutes after the Lions (14-11) had rallied from a six point deficit to tie the score twice.

A 3-point jumper by senior guard Stephanie Prall knotted the score at 37-37 with 10:13 left and the Lions would draw even again at 40-40 on a Prall free throw just a minute and a half later.

But Tactuk and Coleman mixed in 3-point jumpers with a pair of layups by freshman guard ShaQuanna Marshall during the decisive 10-0 run which made it 50-40 with 6:30 remaining. TCNJ cut the lead to 50-46 on a Prall layup with 4:38 left before the Raiders pulled away to post the biggest lead of the night at the end of the contest.

Coleman finished with 16 points and seven rebounds while Marshall added eight points, a game-high 10 rebounds and three assists. Junior forward Brittany Smith notched 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists. Freshman guard Courtney Woodard came off the bench for five points and three steals while sophomore guard Kristen Venning added five rebounds, three points, two assists, two rebounds and two blocked shots.

Senior center Alex Gregorek paced the Lions with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots while Prall came off the bench for nine points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senior guard Keri Washington pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go along with seven points while junior guard Katie Occhipinti dished off a game-high four assists and snared five rebounds.

It was just the second meeting ever between the schools in the post season with TCNJ holding a 58-54 win in Ewing in the NJAC tournament's opening round in 2006.