NEWARK, NJ – Top-seeded Rutgers-Newark will host Lehman College on Wednesday in The Golden Dome to kick off its quest for an ECAC Metro Championship.

2012 ECAC Metro Women's Basketball Championship Bracket (PDF)

The Scarlet Raiders (18-8), who gained the top seed in the 8-team playoff for the second straight year, tip off against the Lightning (15-12)) at 7 p.m.

The Raiders gained an ECAC slot for the sixth time in the last eight seasons under 11th-year head coach Kevin Morris.

Rutgers-Newark has relied on the scoring of All-New Jersey Athletic Conference senior guard Kendra Johnson (14.3 points per game) and smothering full-court defense this season, but that formula suffered a devastating blow in the Raiders 56-49 loss to William Paterson in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship semifinals.

Sophomore point guard ShaQuanna Marshall suffered a season-ending knee injury midway in the second half of the loss at WPU and will not be available for the ECACs.  She led the squad with 78 assists and was second to Johnson in scoring average (11.1) and steals (71).

Rutgers-Newark will need to rely more on perimeter players Jasmine Daniels, Brittany Smith and Arianna Williams in Marshall's absence.  Inside, senior forward Lori Nieves (8.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 56 assists, 43 steals, 25 blocks) and freshman forward Jade Howard (8.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 23 blocks) will need to be productive.

NJAC rivals Ramapo (15-10) and Richard Stockton (15-12) earned the second and third seeds in the playoff with each drawing hosting assignments in the opening round.

If Rutgers-Newark wins, it would host the tournament's semifinals on Saturday and championship game on Sunday.  If the Raiders can get past Lehman on Wednesday, they would face the winner of the #5 Old Westbury (18-8) and #4 Brooklyn College (21-7) game on Saturday.