MAHWAH, NJ – Ramapo College held off a furious late rally by Rutgers-Newark to gain a crucial 58-55 New Jersey Athletic College win in the Bradley Center.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Junior guard Jared Tactuk netted 16 of her game-high 18 points in the second half as the Scarlet Raiders (15-8, NJAC 5-7) closed to within two points in the final minutes after having trailed by double digits for most of the second half. But that was not enough as Rutgers-Newark fell for the sixth time in its last seven NJAC games and allowed the Roadrunners (14-8, NJAC 4-6) to get a regular-season series split.

Sophomore guard Faith Flannery sank a jump shot with 4:22 left to give Ramapo a seemingly safe 53-40 lead before the Raiders staged a 13-0. Sophomore guard Kristen Venning had four of her eight points and Tactuk added three points to fuel the spurt which made it 53-51 with 36 seconds left.

But Ramapo freshman guard Samantha Maggio and sophomore guard Alexa Ryan each made a pair of free throws in the final 31 seconds to offset baskets by Tactuk and Venning before Maggio hit a free throw for the final point with five seconds left.

Ryan had seven of her team-high 17 points and junior forward Lindsey Gripenburg netted six of her 10 point on a pair of treys as the Roadrunners closed out the first half on a 21-2 run. After senior forward Jaleesa Coleman gave the Raiders a 17-13 lead with 9:25 left in the period, Gripenburg nailed a 3-point jumper to start the landslide. A jump shot by Venning with 5:30 left before halftime produced Rutgers-Newark's only points during the cold spell as Ramapo claimed a 34-19 lead.

Ryan notched a dozen points in the first half, but the balanced Roadrunners got six points apiece from Gripenburg, Flannery and senior center Danielle Beam. Coleman with nine points was the only Raider with more than a field goal in the opening 20 minutes.

Tactuk, freshman guard Jasmine Daniels and Coleman knocked down consecutive jump shots to reduce the Raider deficit to 38-33 with 11:41 remaining. But Ramapo answered with a 7-0 on back-to-back jumpers by Beam and a trey by Ryan to make it 45-33 with 9:23 to go.

Tactuk added three steals to her totals while Coleman posted a double-double with a dozen points and 10 rebounds. Venning just missed a double-double with 10 rebounds, eight points, two assists and a steal. Freshman guard ShaQuanna Marshall tallied six points, three rebounds three assists and three steals for the Raiders while junior guard Brittany Smith notched six points, five rebounds and two assists.

Beam hauled down a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with a dozen points while Gripenburg pulled down eight rebounds to help Ramapo win the battle of the boards, 45-39.

The loss left the Scarlet Raiders in an uncertain position in the race for one of six NJAC Championship Tournament berths with only Saturday's Senior Night game against Montclair State left on the league agenda. Ramapo, Montclair State and Rutgers-Newark are battling for two slots behind North Division leading William Paterson entering the final week of the regular season.

Rutgers-Newark hosts Montclair State in The Golden Dome on Saturday in a virtual must-win situation for the Raider women. The women tip off at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8 o'clock.