Box Score NEWARK, N.J. – Rowan University took advantage of a Rutgers University-Newark scoring drought late in the game to post a 61-52 New Jersey Athletic Conference win in The Golden Dome Arena.
Sophomore guard
Shala Glenn, who finished with 15 points for the Scarlet Raiders, hit a layup with 21 seconds left to snap the scoreless span which started with 9:11 left on the clock. Raider senior forward
Jade Howard, who totaled 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots, went to the bench after committing back-to-back fouls with 7:26 left and the Raiders holding a 50-47 lead.
The Profs (12-3, NJAC 8-1) led just 51-50 when Howard reentered with 3:29 left, but the Raiders could not find the net until the final seconds. Junior guard Kaitlin Schullstrom and sophomore guard Valerie Garofalo netted five points apiece to spark a 12-0 surge which put Rowan in charge at 59-50 with 31 seconds remaining.
Neither team could seize control during a first half that featured four ties and three lead changes. The Profs took the biggest lead of the period on a layup by Schullstrom to go up 29-22 with 4:50 on the clock. The Raiders closed out the half with an 8-2 run to make it a one-point game at intermission. Senior forward
Sharee Gordon's in-the-paint jumper and accompanying free throw with 3.6 seconds left sent the team's into the break.
Gordon tallied a game-high 16 points and added eight rebounds and three steals while Glenn added four rebounds, two assists and two steals to her line for the night. Guards
Maria Simmons and
Arianna Williams led Rutgers-Newark with nine rebounds each. Simmons paced the Raiders with four assists while Williams added three.
Schullstrom posted a double-double with a dozen points and a game-high 13 rebounds as Rowan notched its third straight NJAC victory to stay in a 3-way tie for the league lead with Montclair State and Stockton.
Senior guard Bria Hill hit four of nine shots from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points for the Profs while Garofalo came off the bench for 10 points. The Rowan bench out-scored its counterparts 16-4. Senior guard Jade Bonder tallied nine points and dished off a team-high three assists for the visitors.
The Raiders (9-7, NJAC 5-4) are now in a fourth-place tie with William Paterson at the midpoint of the NJAC season.
Rutgers-Newark hosts New Jersey City University in an NJAC doubleheader on Wednesday. The women's game tips off at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8.
