NEWARK, N.J. (January 30, 2016) - Despite 27 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals for junior guard Maria Simmons, the Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team suffered a 70-63 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) loss at the hands of The College of New Jersey Saturday night in The Golden Dome Arena.

Simmons' 27 marks the eighth time this year she has scored 20 or more points, going 5-for-9 from three and 10-for-21 from the field overall. Senior guard Arianna Williams added 16 points, five assists and two steals, while junior guard Shala Glenn had 14 points and two rebounds. Freshman forward Jocelyn Rodriguez grabbed a team-high nine boards, while sophomore guard Nicole Skelly finished with four points, three rebounds and three assists. Sophomore forward Nikki Sammartino corralled six caroms as the Scarlet Raiders shot 36.2 percent (25-for-69) from the floor, 25 percent (6-for-24) from deep and 70 percent (7-for-10) at the line.

R-N is now 6-13 overall and 2-10 in the conference, while the Lions improve to 10-9 overall and 6-6 in the NJAC.

Rutgers put together a solid first half of play, leading 14-8 after one and 28-24 at the half, getting nine points apiece from Simmons and Williams and eight from Glenn.

An early 7-0 run keyed by buckets from Simmons, Williams and Glenn propelled Newark to a 12-5 edge with 3:04 left in the first, and after scoring just three points in the first 7:00 of the second quarter, R-N ended the half strong.

A Simmons three-pointer helped the hosts regain the lead at 20-19, and the junior guard followed a TCNJ three-pointer with three points the old fashioned way. Williams jumped in on the action kissing a runner off the glass and sinking her free throw for a three-point play of her own, and she then made a jumper on R-N's final possession of the first.

The Lions took the lead on a three from senior guard Angelica Esposito, but Simmons' first triple of the second half helped the Raiders get back on top, 33-32. After a Williams three that put R-N up 36-34, a 6-0 run from the Lions made it a 40-36 game, with the Scarlet Raiders fighting to get back in front following a pair at the line from Williams.

An Esposito three-pointer and a layup from senior forward Christina Merlin gave TCNJ a 52-49 edge at the end of the third, and an Esposito three to start the fourth-quarter scoring helped the Lions to their largest lead of the game to that point (six).

Two Simmons triples sandwiched around a triple from freshman guard Kate O'Leary brought the Scarlet Raiders back within three points, and a deuce from Skelly made it a one-point game (58-57) with 6:12 on the clock.

The two sides would trade buckets over the next several minutes before a 6-0 Lion run gave the guests a 66-59 lead with 3:26 remaining, and the Raiders could get no closer than five points the rest of the way.

Esposito finished with 23 points and eight rebounds as five Lions scored eight or more points. TCNJ shot 44.9 percent (22-for-49) from the floor, 52.6 percent (10-for-19) from distance and 72.7 percent (16-for-22) from the line. The guests ended with a 43-31 margin on the glass and committed 14 turnovers compared to 23 for R-N.

The Scarlet Raiders will look to get back in the win column Monday night when they host NJAC rival Stockton University in The Golden Dome Arena beginning at 6 p.m. The first 200 fans will receive t-shirts and everyone will receive rally towels as all in attendance are asked to wear white in support of the #WHITEOUT promotion.