NEWARK, NJ – Senior forward Jaleesa Coleman netted 17 of her game-high 23 points in the first half as Rutgers-Newark downed New Jersey City, 66-50, to stay in the thick of the battle for a New Jersey Athletic Conference championship tournament berth.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Coleman all three of her 3-point jumpers and seven of her 10 field goal tries in the opening half as the Scarlet Raiders pushed out to a 43-27 lead. Rutgers-Newark shot 63.0% (17-27) from the field and made seven of 12 shots from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes to seize control of the contest.

Freshman guard ShaQuanna Marshall and junior guard Brittany Smith netted 11 points apiece for the Raiders. Marshall added four assists and two steals while Smith added five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Scarlet Raiders (15-6, NJAC 5-5) finished a sweep of their regular-season series against the Gothic Knights (4-16, NJAC 0-9) to stay in sole possession of third place in the NJAC North Division with just three league games remaining. The top three teams in each division make the post-season championship and the Raiders maintained a one-game edge over Ramapo (12-8, NJAC 2-6) in the loss column.

The Gothic Knights were led by guards Gabrielle Rivera and Carolina Garcia with 11 points apiece. Guard Nidia Carmona added 10 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals while center Olivia Obanye came off the bench for 11 rebounds – all in the second half.

Rutgers-Newark hosts William Paterson Saturday in an NJAC doubleheader in The Golden Dome. The women tip off at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8 o'clock.