Box Score NEW YORK – After surviving a late game surge by The College of Staten Island, Rutgers University-Newark made all 10 of its free throw attempts in overtime to advance to the ECAC Metro/Upstate Championship Tournament finals tomorrow in Brooklyn College's West Quad Center.
Guards
Arianna Williams and
Maria Simmons each sank a pair of free throws in the final 22 seconds of the extra period to pull the Scarlet Raiders out of a 75-74 hole. After Williams' final charity toss made it 78-75 with 3.6 seconds left, Simmons stole the ensuing inbounds pass, laid the ball in and was fouled with just nine tenths of the second on the clock. She made the free throw for the final six-point margin.
The Scarlet Raiders (15-13) will face the winner of the battle between top-seeded Brooklyn College and fourth-seeded Sage Colleges which will tip off later this afternoon.
Three Scarlet Raiders posted double-doubles in a game that featured nine ties and 10 lead changes. Rutgers-Newark committed a season-high 35 turnovers but won because a huge 59-34 advantage in rebounding and a shaky seven for 16 day at the free throw line by the third-seeded Dolphins (17-12).
Senior forward
Jade Howard finished with game highs of 30 points and 15 rebounds while adding four assists as she was on the floor for the entire 45 minutes. Senior center
Sharee Gordon came off the bench for 13 points, a dozen rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots. Sophomore center
Jasmine Lombard claimed 11 of her 12 rebounds on the defensive end of the court and netted 10 points as the Raider front line dominated play.
Williams finished with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Raiders while sophomore guard
Shala Glenn totaled 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. Simmons came away with a game-high six steals, five points and four rebounds.
Senior guard Megan Myhre gunned in seven 3-point jumpers as Staten Island knocked down 16 of 42 shots from beyond the arc to negate the Raiders' inside dominance. She finished with 23 points and five assists. Junior guard Victoria Gallinaro hit four of seven shots from long range on her way to 15 points while sophomore guard Victoria Crea had 14 points, a team-high nine rebounds and a game-high eight assists.
In overtime, there were three ties and six lead changes before Simmons' free throws put the Raiders ahead for keeps with 22 ticks left. Howard snared the rebound of a missed jumper by Crea with 12 seconds on the clock to set up Williams' crucial charity tosses. Simmons stole the inbounds pass following a Dolphin timeout.
In the second half, a Howard layup gave Rutgers-Newark a 62-53 lead with 5:22 left, but the Dolphins reeled off nine straight points over the next three minutes to level the score and give themselves a chance for the win in regulation. A layup by senior guard Nikki Fabozzi tied the score at 62-62 with 2:25 left. Gordon hit the first of two free throws with 1:28 on the clock to put the Raiders up by one. Both teams missed chances over the final frantic minute, but Gallinaro stepped to the free throw line with a chance to end the game with 1.9 seconds left. She made the first free throw, but missed the second to send the game into overtime after Lombard swept away the rebound.
Rutgers-Newark goes after its first ECAC Metro/Upstate Championship tomorrow. The Scarlet Raiders reached the playoff finals for the only time in 2012, falling to Stockton University, 83-52, in The Golden Dome Arena.
