NEWARK, N.J. (December 7, 2016) – Despite double-doubles from senior guard Maria Simmons and sophomore guard Faith Ashby, the Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team suffered a tough 55-52 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) loss to Ramapo College in The Golden Dome Wednesday night.
 
Ramapo improves to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the conference, while the Scarlet Raiders drop to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in the league.
 
Simmons picked up a big double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, adding seven assists and three steals to her fantastic all-around line. Sophomore Faith Ashby had 10 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, as freshman Louise Ann Borja had nine points and two rebounds, and junior forward Nikki Sammartino had four points and three rebounds.
 
Rutgers-Newark shot 28.8 percent from the field, 16 percent from three-point range and 6-for-9 at the line. The Scarlet Raiders totaled seven steals and 41 rebounds, assisting on 10 of their 21 made baskets.
 
The Roadrunners shot 37.5 percent from the floor, 16.7 percent from distance and 11-for-15 at the stripe, corralling 47 rebounds, 13 assists, six blocks and five steals. Ramapo was led by 23 combined points from freshman Jenna Harsh (12) and junior Jina Crawford, and 12 rebounds from senior Bintou Berete.
 
The Scarlet Raiders raced out to an early 9-4 lead behind some suffocating defense and six early points from Ashby. Ramapo trimmed the lead to one with two-straight late buckets, but Rutgers-Newark received a late layup from Borja to take an 11-8 margin to the second. R-N held the Roadrunners to 4-of-17 shooting in the game's first 10 minutes.
 
The Roadrunners tied the score early in the second (11-11), and used a late 8-0 run to turn an 18-17 deficit into a 25-20 lead at the break.
 
Ashby and Simmons each had six points in the first half, and Sammartino tallied her four points and three boards. Simmons grabbed a team-high four rebounds and dished out a team-best three assists as well.
 
The Roadrunners were able to keep a solid working margin for the first four minutes of the third quarter, but the Scarlet Raiders roared back to tie things at 35. Simmons made the play of the night in the rally, turning her own theft into a fastbreak layup and converting the free throw for an old-fashioned three-point-play. Ramapo would respond late, running off the final six points of the period to take a six-point lead into the fourth (41-35).
 
Borja canned a big triple after an offensive rebound by Simmons to start the final stanza, and a Simmons layup pulled Newark within one (41-40) with a shade less than nine minutes on the clock. The back-and-forth battle continued with a Roadrunner run, but a big three from freshman Autumn Webster sliced what was a 52-45 RC edge to four (52-48) with less than five minutes left. Webster then found Simmons for a triple to make it a one-point game with 3:43 to play.
 
Borja converted 1-of-2 at the line to tie the game, but two foul shots for freshman Jenna Harsh helped Ramapo regain the lead with just 1:57 remaining. Newark was unable to score on the its next several possessions, and despite several steals and solid looks, the Scarlet Raiders fell by the 55-52 final.
 
Rutgers-Newark will look to get back into the win column at non-conference foe Penn State University-Abington Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.