Tournament Program

NEWARK, N.J. (November 15, 2015) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team dropped a 57-56 thriller to visiting St. John Fisher College in the finale of the 2015 John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic in The Golden Dome Arena.
 
Trailing by three, senior guard Arianna Williams made a driving layup to make it a one-point game (57-56) with 43 seconds to go. The Scarlet Raiders were able to get a stop, but could not convert at the buzzer, falling just short to a Fisher team that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago and was receiving votes in two different national polls.
 
With the win, St. John Fisher improves to 2-0, while the Scarlet Raiders drop to 1-1.
 
The entire second half was a back-and-forth affair. The Scarlet Raiders took a four-point margin early in the third, and the Cardinals went on top by the same amount midway through the quarter. SJF would extend to a six-point advantage following a three-pointer from senior guard Mary Kate Cusack, but the Scarlet Raiders were able to slice that lead in half thanks to a layup from junior guard Maria Simmons and a free throw from junior guard Shala Glenn.
 
The Cardinals led by as many as five points in the fourth quarter, but the Scarlet Raiders stormed back to take the lead on a Williams three-pointer with 5:16 remaining and the scoreboard showing 49-48 in favor of the hosts. Simmons converted 1-of-2 at the line, and after Fisher tied things at 50, junior forward Samantha Chirichello drained a jumper.
 
Following several empty possessions for each team, R-N extended its lead to three (53-50) with 3:27 remaining, and St. John Fisher came back for a 54-53 edge with 1:28 left. Williams hit 1-of-2 at the line to tie the game, and the Cardinals converted 3-of-4 free throws sandwiched around a stop to take the 57-54 margin at the 46-second mark.
 
Rutgers-Newark put together a marvelous opening to Sunday's contest, jumping out to a 9-2 margin and taking a 19-10 lead to the second quarter on the back of a Williams jumper.
 
Back-to-back layups from Glenn and Simmons midway through the second handed the Raiders their largest lead of the game at 28-13, but St. John Fisher closed the half on a 17-4 run to get within two points at intermission, 32-30.
 
Williams had a double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three assists, with Simmons pouring in 17 on just nine shots and adding seven assists, six rebounds and two steals to her line. Glenn finished with nine points, four boards and three helpers, and Chirachello grabbed 12 rebounds.
 
The Scarlet Raiders shot 36.7 percent (22-for-60) from the field, 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from long range and 56.3 percent (9-for-16) from the line. The team tallied nine steals, five blocks and 41 rebounds, but were minus-eight on the glass as the Cardinals grabbed 49.
 
Fisher shot 28.8 percent from the floor and 10 percent from three (2-for-10), but did make 17-of-26 at the line (65.4 percent). The Cardinals pocketed 12 steals, five blocks and 10 assists and were led by sophomore Nicole Robinson's 11-point, 10-rebound performance.
 
Rutgers-Newark returns to the hardwood at Connecticut College on November 21 and returns home on November 24 against New Jersey City University in each school's New Jersey Athletic Conference opener.