Box Score

UNION, NJ – All five starters scored in double figures as Rutgers-Newark pulled away in the final two minutes for a 69-59 win over Kean in the Harwood Arena.

Sophomore forward Jade Howard netted 11 of her team-high 15 points and pulled down 10 of her game-high 12 rebounds in the second half as the Scarlet Raiders (9-5) won despite the absence of head coach Kevin Morris who underwent knee surgery earlier in the day.

Junior guard ShaQuanna Marshall scored 10 of her 13 points in the final half and made all four of her free throw attempts in the final 1:19 when the Raiders made eight of 10 charity tosses to pull away from the Cougars (3-9).

Freshman guard Maria Simmons totaled a dozen points, five rebounds, a game-high five assists and three steals for Rutgers-Newark while juniors Jewel Palmer and Jasmine Daniels tallied 11 points apiece.  Marshall added six rebounds and three steals while Palmer collared eight rebounds.

Sophomore guard AnnaRose Pierre poured in a game-high 26 points for Kean while senior forward Erika Jones added 21 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and a game-high four steals.

In a game in which there were a dozen lead changes and seven ties, the Raiders took the lead for good with 4:01 left when Howard put back a missed free throw by Palmer to make it 54-52.  The Cougars twice trimmed their deficit to two points on layups by Jones at 3:28 and Pierre at 2:16, but the Raiders never let the hosts pull even or ahead.

A conventional 3-point play by Simmons with 1:48 left pushed the Rutgers-Newark lead to 61-56 and ignited a closing 11-3 run.  The Raiders put the game away at the free throw line while allowing Kean only a free throw by Pierre and a layup by Jones in the last 1:06 of the contest.

Kean forged a 28-27 halftime lead behind 15 points by Jones and 10 by Pierre as the Cougars dominated rebounding, 28-17.  But in the second half, the Raiders out-rebounded the hosts, 26-17.

Associate head coach James Bagli led the Raiders while 12th-year head coach Morris was recuperating from knee surgery this afternoon.  Morris fell on ice a week ago before a win over York NY.  He was on crutches behind the bench in Saturday's 73-69 New Jersey Athletic Conference loss to The College of New Jersey.

Rutgers-Newark hosts Rowan in an NJAC doubleheader Saturday in The Golden Dome Arena.  The women tip off at 6 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 8.