Box Score NEWARK, N.J. – Rutgers University-Newark scratched its way back from a double-digit deficit to force overtime in a 73-66 season-opening win over Baruch College in The Golden Dome Arena giving interim head coach
Bill Zasowski a victory in his debut.
Senior center
Sharee Gordon, who notched a double-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots, blocked a driving jump shot by Bearcat senior guard Iyana Abrams at the regulation buzzer to help get the Scarlet Raiders into overtime.
In the extra period, five Raiders netted points with Rutgers-Newark pulling away with the final five points of the period in a battle which saw two starters foul out for each squad.
Raider senior forward
Jade Howard poured in a game-high 24 points with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists before fouling out in the final seconds of overtime. Junior guard
Arianna Williams knocked down four of nine shots from beyond the arc to tally 15 points with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Sophomore guard
Maria Simmons dished out a game-high eight assists with seven points, nine rebounds and a pair of steals before fouling out at the end of regulation while sophomore center
Jasmine Lombard worked inside for nine points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard
Shala Glenn contributed seven points, three rebounds and two assists.
Sophomore forward
Adayshia McKinnon and junior guard
Sarah Schwartz logged valuable minutes while filling in to offset 26 teams fouls on the Raiders.
Baruch senior forward Sheridan Taylor posted a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and a game-high four steals before fouling out after just 25 minutes on the floor. Abrams totaled a dozen points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Bearcats while senior guard Francess Henry contributed a team-high 13 rebounds, nine points and four assists.
After Taylor netted 11 points to help stake Baruch to a 33-25 halftime edge, the Bearcats stayed in control of the contest for the opening 10 minutes of the second period. A jump shot by junior forward Malika Rose Abdusalaam gave the visitors a 50-39 lead with 10:10 on the clock.
After Lombard knocked down a short jumper and Gordon converted a conventional 3-point play, Howard and Simmons each had a field goal and a pair of free throws to provide the points in a 13-2 run. Howard put back a missed shot by Lombard inside with 6:54 remaining to knot the game at 52-52.
The Raiders led 60-55 with 2:44 left on a 3-point jumper by Williams, but the Bearcats refused to fold.
A layup and a jumper by Abrams sliced the Baruch deficit to one with just over two minutes remaining before Howard drove inside to give Rutgers-Newark a 62-59 lead with 53 ticks left after a block by Gordon on the other end.
Sophomore guard Veronica Ganzi gunned in a 3-pointer from the left wing with 39 second left to knot game at 62-62 and set up the final frantic seconds of regulation.
After the teams exchanged missed shots, Zasowski called timeout to settle his squad with 17.7 seconds on the clock. But after running time down for a final shot, Simmons was whistled with a charging foul with just 4.1 seconds remaining. After a Baruch timeout, the Bearcats inbounded the ball from beneath the Raider basket to Abrams who raced up the left side toward the lane. She went up for a running jumper just to the left of the lane, but Gordon swatted the attempt away at the buzzer.
In overtime, a Lombard jumper followed by Abrams free throws pushed the tie to 64-64 in the opening minute. Howard hit the second of two free throws with 3:47 left to put Rutgers-Newark ahead for good before Glenn snared a crisp pass on the baseline by Simmons for a layup that pushed the Raider advantage to three. After a Howard free throw, Abrams trimmed the Bearcat deficit to 68-66 with a layup with a minute and a half left.
Gordon gave the Raiders some breathing room with a layup with 59 seconds left before Abrams missed a pair of free throws. With the Bearcats forced to foul, Williams dropped in three of four free throws to provide the final margin.
Rutgers-Newark's women and men board a plane for the state of Washington Tuesday night where they will play highly-regarded Whitworth in Spokane on Thursday and Whitman in Walla Walla on Saturday.
