Box Score NEWARK, N.J. - Senior forward
Jade Howard and sophomore guard
Maria Simmons combined for 33 points in the second half to rally Rutgers University-Newark to a 76-70 win over Rutgers University-Camden in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game in The Golden Dome Arena.
Howard finished with a team-high 25 points while adding eight rebounds, a game-high five steals and four assists while Simmons totaled 19 points, a team-high six assists, four steals and five rebounds as the Scarlet Raiders (12-11, NJAC 8-8) stayed in a fifth-place tie with The College of New Jersey (13-10, NJAC 8-8) in the league with two regular season games left on the docket. The Raiders and Lions are a game ahead of Kean (12-11, NJAC 7-9) which lost to William Paterson, 64-56, tonight.
Simmons had eight points and Howard, five, to account for a decisive 13-0 run which broke a second-half tie and put the Raiders in command, 48-35 with 11:30 left in the contest. Simmons, then Howard, opened the spurt with conventional 3-point plays before Simmons drained a trey before each hit a jumper to finish the rally. The Raptors got no closer than the final margin the rest of the way.
Simmons had 18 second-half points while Howard tallied 15 as the Raiders completed a regular-season series sweep of Rutgers-Camden (8-15, NJAC4-12). Simmons sank nine of 10 free throws.
Sophomore guard
Shala Glenn hit five of six shots from the floor to finish with 11 points and senior center
Sharee Gordon chipped in a dozen points and a career-high five blocked shots.
Raptor senior Alex Gravinese, who finished with a game-high 26 points, gunned in seven of 15 shots from beyond the arc to push her season total 66 and tie her school season record. Senior center Tanjae Lewis posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Irene Grimanis came off the bench for eight points, four assists, two steals and a game-high 14 rebounds to help the visitors dominate the glass, 52-34.
Gravinese gunned in three treys as the Raptors powered out to a 27-13 lead during the opening 11 minutes, but Rutgers-Newark clawed its way back to trail just 30-28 at the half. The Raiders turned up the pressure as Simmons notched three of the team's five steals while limiting Rutgers-Camden to a pair of Grimanis free throws during the final six and a half minutes. Gordon made two layups as the Raiders scored six buckets in the paint before Simmons closed out the scoring for the period with a free throw with 39.3 seconds on the clock.
Rutgers-Newark is at Rowan University on Saturday for an NJAC doubleheader. The women's game tips off at 1 p.m. with the men to follow at 3.
