Box Score

NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark could not hold onto an early second half lead as Kean earned a 60-44 New Jersey Athletic Conference win in The Golden Dome Arena.

After senior forward Jasmine Daniels hit a free throw to give the Scarlet Raiders (7-7, NJAC 3-5) their largest lead of the game at 34-27 with just 2:45 gone in the second period, the Cougars (8-7, NJAC 5-3) closed out the game by out-scoring the hosts 33-10.

Back-to-back 3-point jumpers by freshman guard Aysha Harris followed by a short jumper by senior center Simone Smith helped Kean get separation from the Raiders, expanding the Cougar lead to 54-42 with 4:55 left.  Rutgers-Newark never got closer than 10 points down the stretch.

Daniels paced Rutgers-Newark with 14 points and seven rebounds while sophomore guard Arianna Williams posted 11 points and a team-high four assists.  Junior guard Courtney Woodard came off the bench for eight points, six rebounds and three assists while junior forward Jade Howard, who was limited to a season-low four points, led Rutgers-Newark with nine rebounds and six steals.

Smith, who scored a dozen of her game high 22 points in the second half, notched a double-double by adding a game-high 14 rebounds while freshman guard Jaquetta Owens had a dozen points plus game highs of seven assists and six steals.  Junior guard AnnaRose Pierre added 11 points and seven rebounds while freshman forward Kenya Adams hauled down nine rebounds to help Kean control the boards, 47-41.

The Cougars clung to a tenuous 25-24 halftime lead in a period which featured a major run by each team following a critical injury to Raider senior point guard ShaQuanna Marshall in the opening minute of play. Marshall, who entered the contest leading Rutgers-Newark with averages of 16.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.6 steals per game, tweaked her surgically repaired left knee just seconds into the fray and did not return to action.

Owens netted five points during an 11-1 Kean run, finishing the spurt with a 3-point jumper to stake the Cougars to a 19-9 lead with 6:05 left on the clock.  Daniels tallied four points as Rutgers-Newark answered with a 9-0 rally to trim the Raiders' deficit to 19-18 with 2:39 remaining in the period.

Rutgers-Newark sliced its deficit to one three more times during the final two minutes, but Kean never relinquished its lead.  The Raiders stayed in the game on the strength of a nine for 12 performance at the free throw line during the opening half to offset 11 points netted by the Cougars on the fast break.

Rutgers-Newark travels to Rowan on Saturday for an NJAC doubleheader.  The women's game tips off at 1 p.m. with the men to follow at 3.