UNION, N.J. (November 30, 2016) – Kean University defeated Rutgers University-Newark, 83-51, Wednesday night in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) women's basketball game at Harwood Arena in Union.
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 1-1 in conference play and 1-4 overall, while the Cougars move to 1-1 in the NJAC and 3-2 overall.
 
Senior guard Maria Simmons led the Scarlet Raiders with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, adding five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Faith Ashby finished with 13 points, a team-high seven boards, three assists and three steals, while freshmen Hannah Ashby and Autumn Webster combined for 15 points off the bench. Webster added five rebounds to her line, while junior Nikki Sammartino had five rebounds and a team-high four steals.
 
Rutgers-Newark shot 30.3 percent (20-for-66) from the floor, 4-for-11 (36.4 percent) from three and 7-for-15 at the line, scoring 28 points in the paint and grabbing 36 rebounds. Kean ended the league battle shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 25 percent from three and 68.4 percent (13-for-19) from the stripe, also ending with a 59-36 margin on the glass. The Cougars had five players in double digits and were led by double-doubles from Kenya Adams and De'Mean Boyd.
 
Kean started with nine of the first 12 points, but a 6-0 rally for Newark featuring four points from Simmons tied the score at nine midway through the first. A Sammartino free throw helped the Scarlet Raiders to their first lead of the night moments later, but after a made jumper from Hannah Ashby made it 18-15 in R-N's favor, Kean ran off eight-straight points to end the quarter.
 
The host lead would move to 17 points late in the second quarter, but the Scarlet Raiders closed the half strong to get within 10 (40-30) at the break. Hannah Ashby drilled a three to start the rally and Simmons hit a layup to end it.
 
Simmons turned a Faith Ashby board into a fastbreak pair to start the second half, and moments later Simmons scored again to pull the Raiders within six (40-34), but Kean was able to extend the lead with a 19-6 run to close the third quarter.
 
In the fourth, the Cougars remained in control to get the conference win.
 
Rutgers-Newark will return to the hardwood Saturday night when it plays in front of its home crowd for the first time this season. The Scarlet Raiders will welcome NJAC rival Montclair State University to The Golden Dome for a 6 p.m. tip and all the action can be seen live at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com.