Box Score

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Rutgers-Newark used hustling defense to break away from stubborn New Jersey City in the second half for a 65-51 New Jersey Athletic Conference win in the John J. Moore Center.

Junior forward Jade Howard notched her second double-double of the young season with team highs of 15 points and a season-high 16 rebounds while blocking two shots as the Scarlet Raiders (3-1, NJAC 1-0) got off to a solid start in league play.

Senior forward Jasmine Daniels added 14 points and four rebounds while senior guard ShaQuanna Marshall totaled a dozen points, six rebounds and four assists as the Raiders posted their second straight win.

Junior guard Courtney Woodard came off the bench for a game-high six steals to go along with nine points, four rebounds and four assists as Rutgers-Newark expanded a slim 32-27 halftime edge to as many as 23 points in the second half.

The Gothic Knights (1-4, NJAC 0-2) were led by freshman forward Bria Smith who scored a game-high 17 points while tying Howard for the game high in rebounds with 16.  Junior guard Ashley Vazquez added 11 points and four assists for NJCU.

Sophomore forward Deseree Johnson knocked down a jump shot to pull NJCU to within six points at 41-35 with 4:46 gone in the second half before Woodard keyed the decisive 22-5 Raider run.  Woodard netted seven of her nine points in the period during the rally – including a conventional 3-point play which pushed the Rutgers-Newark advantage to 63-40 with 5:49 remaining.  Woodard and Howard each had three layups during the spurt.

Woodard, Marshall and Howard netted 27 of the Raiders' 33 second-half points with Marshall netting 10 and Howard, eight.

In the opening period, Smith registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while the Raiders committed 10 of their 16 turnovers.  Rutgers-Newark led 30-22 with 4:14 left in the half before the Gothic Knights closed with a 7-2 run.

Rutgers-Newark will be at Baruch College on Sunday at 3 p.m. for a non-conference game before returning to The Golden Dome on December 4 for an NJAC twin bill against Montclair State.