NEWARK, N.J. (November 26, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team rolled to a 76-34 non-conference win over Goucher College Sunday afternoon in The Golden Dome, improving to 4-1 on the young 2017-18 season.
 
The win was the third wire-to-wire triumph in a four-game winning streak for R-N, and the Scarlet Raiders have not trailed in any of the four wins after the first quarter. R-N will look to make it five-straight wins overall and two-straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victories with a tough matchup against Kean University Wednesday evening in The Dome.
 
"This was another solid team win for us," said Head Coach Ashley Cieplicki after the game. "It's great to see new players stepping up, and we are really starting to come together as one."
 
The Scarlet Raiders built an early 15-5 lead via an 11-1 run and nine points from sophomore Louise Ann Borja. A jumper from senior Nicole Skelly pushed the margin into double figures for the first time, and Borja sent Rutgers-Newark to the second quarter with a 20-9 lead.
 
R-N continued to roll, ripping off 10-straight to start the second as a fastbreak pair for junior Faith Ashby pushed the lead to 21 with seven minutes left in the first half. The Raiders kept it going, pushing the lead to 25 at 36-11 with a shade over four minutes on the clock, and they eventually settled on a 46-11 lead at the break. R-N ended the first on a 12-0 run, outscoring the Gophers 26-2 in the second quarter and 42-7 over the final 17:32 of the opening half.
 
Newark continued its solid play in the third, upping its lead to 38 via an 18-15 quarter. Early in the fourth, freshman Ania Harrell helped Rutgers to a 66-26 lead and the hosts eventually settled on the 42-point triumph.
 
Faith Ashby totaled 18 points on a super-efficient 9-of-13 shooting, adding three assists, three steals and three rebounds to her line, while Harrell delivered her first career double-double on the back of 10 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists. Borja had 13 points, two boards and two thefts, while Skelly posted nine points, four rebounds and three assists. Junior Chelsea Scott pocketed eight points and three rebounds, while sophomore Comfort Akinbo registered six points, four rebounds and three blocked shots. Sophomore Autumn Webster racked up seven points, three steals and two helpers, and sophomore Hannah Ashby had two points, five assists and five boards.
 
Rutgers-Newark finished with 22 assists and 11 turnovers, tallying 19 steals and four blocks as a team. Newark shot 43.6 percent from the field, 4-for-15 from three and 4-for-7 at the line, scoring 54 points in the paint, 31 off turnovers and 26 in transition.
 
During its current four-game winning streak, Rutgers-Newark has been dominant, winning by at least 11 points in every game and scoring at least 70 points in every outing. The four-straight represent the longest win streak since February of 2013 for the Scarlet Raiders, and during the run, Newark has outscored its foes 299-155.
 
"It's a nice streak for us, but those wins are in the past," added Cieplicki. "We need to keep working and keep improving because as time passes, we are going to face some really tough competition."
 
Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. on Wednesday night against NJAC rival Kean in The Dome. Fans unable to make it to the Brick City can follow watch live at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com/watch.