MONTCLAIR, N.J. (January 21, 2017) – The 17th-ranked Montclair State University women's basketball team defeated Rutgers University-Newark by a score of 69-56 Saturday afternoon in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contest in the Panzer Athletic Center.
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 4-7 in the NJAC and 6-12 overall, while MSU moves to 16-1 overall and 9-1 in the league.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will return to action Wednesday against league rival Kean University in The Golden Dome. R-N will be donning pink as part of the THINK PINK initiative supporting cancer awareness. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
 
Despite the final score, Rutgers-Newark put a big-time scare into the nationally-ranked Red Hawks. After entering the final 10 minutes down 11 and falling behind by 14 with 7:47 left, two-straight three-pointers from freshman guard Hannah Ashby made it an eight-point game, and two tallies apiece from senior guard Maria Simmons and sophomore guard Faith Ashby pulled the Scarlet Raiders within four (58-54) with less than five minutes to go.
 
Four would be as close as Rutgers would get as MSU responded with a 10-0 run to earn the hard-fought triumph.
 
Simmons paced Rutgers-Newark with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Faith Ashby totaled 11 points, five steals and three rebounds, and Hannah Ashby had nine points off the bench. Senior guard Shala Glenn had eight points, two rebounds and two thefts as the Raiders shot 37.7 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from three and 12-for-20 at the line.
 
MSU held a 44-24 margin on the glass and guard Katie Tobie had a double-double of 18 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and three steals. The Red Hawks shot 48.1 percent from the floor, 40.9 percent from three and 10-for-20 at the line, totaling 18 assists on 25 made baskets.
 
After Montclair jumped out to an 8-2 lead, a Simmons layup brought Rutgers-Newark within two points (8-6) midway through the first, but the hosts created separation with an 11-2 run to close the period on top 19-8.
 
The lead moved to 17 midway through the second after a layup from forward Sage Bennett, with freshman forward Autumn Webster nailing a triple to get her team back within 11 points (27-16).
 
Later in the period, MSU would go back up by 16, but Rutgers-Newark fought back behind four late points from Simmons to get within 10 (36-26) at the half.
 
A Simmons bucket early in the third helped Newark to get within single digits, and a three-point play from junior forward Nikki Sammartino made it in eight-point game with 2:52 to go. Hannah Ashby would can a three moments later to trim the host lead to seven (49-42), but the Red Hawks scored the final four points of the period to take an 11-point advantage to the fourth.
 
Fans unable to make Wednesday night's game can follow live via links at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com.