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Tournament Bracket | Tournament Information
Rutgers-Newark Stats | Rutgers-Newark Schedule
Stockton Stats | Stockton Schedule
NEWARK, N.J. (February 17, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team is in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament, and the sixth-seeded Scarlet Raiders will travel to third-seeded Stockton University for the opening round Saturday at 2 p.m.
Rutgers-Newark earned a berth in the tournament with a conference mark of 8-10, notching a huge win at The College of New Jersey to clinch a spot in the final regular-season game of the season. Led by 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals from senior guard
Maria Simmons and incredible defense for the entire 40 minutes, R-N downed the Lions 52-38.
"Making the tournament is a reflection of how hard our ladies worked this year," said Head Coach
Ashley Cieplicki. "The team has been through a lot, so getting the chance to play Saturday is a great opportunity for them. It will be a great experience."
The Scarlet Raider women come into the tournament playing excellent basketball, winning four of their final six games to get to eight league wins. R-N doubled its NJAC win total from 2015-16 and will be making its 10th appearance in the NJAC Tournament since 2004-05.
Stockton brings a record of 17-8 into the tournament, going 12-6 in conference play. The Ospreys topped New Jersey City University in their regular-season finale, and like the Raiders, they have won 4-of-6 heading into the postseason.
R-N and Stockton met twice this season with the Ospreys taking both meetings. After the Ospreys won with ease at The Golden Dome on January 4, Rutgers-Newark gave Stockton a run for its money on February 8, ultimately falling 65-54 due to a late run from the hosts.
Stockton 80, Rutgers-Newark 48 – January 4
Stockton 65, Rutgers-Newark 54 – February 8
The Rutgers-Newark defense has been strong of late, holding its opponents under 65 points in five of the last six games. Coinciding with the strong defense has been the play of senior guard
Maria Simmons who has scored 18 or more points in five-straight games, while tallying double-doubles in five of her last six.
Simmons is averaging 18.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, also totaling 75 steals. Sophomore guard
Faith Ashby has also been splendid throughout the season, bringing averages of 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game into the postseason. Senior guard
Shala Glenn has been playing well down the stretch for the Scarlet Raiders, and the veteran has been clutch during the team's late-season surge.
Head Coach Ashley Cieplicki's Key's to the Game
-We have been rebounding the ball better of late, and that is going to be very important Saturday afternoon because Stockton is a strong rebounding team.
-We need to stay composed. Basketball is a game of runs, so when things get shaken up, we need to keep our heads.
-Defense, defense, defense. At times our defense was suffocating this year, and it needs to be that way Saturday.
-It goes without saying, but we need to hit shots and make plays. Stockton is extremely talented, but if we execute, make some big plays and some key shots I like our chances.
-We just played them down at their place well, so we need to use that to our advantage.
Fans unable to make the trip to Stockton can follow all the action live via links at the top of this story.
