NJAC Standings
 
GALLOWAY, N.J. (February 8, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team saw its three-game New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) winning streak come to an end Wednesday night at the hands of Stockton University. The Ospreys topped the Scarlet Raiders by a final score of 65-54.
 
Despite the final score, Rutgers-Newark gave Stockton all it could handle, coming back from a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to tie the score at 37-all, and fighting until the final horn.
 
Trailing 30-21 after six-straight points from the hosts to open the third, a three-pointer from sophomore guard Faith Ashby halted the Stockton run and pulled her team within six. A three-pointer from senior guard Maria Simmons several minutes later made it a 34-31 game, before another triple from Ashby knotted things at 37 with 90 seconds left in the quarter.
 
Stockton scored the final five points in the third, and after two free throws from senior guard Shala Glenn made it a three-point game 3:07 into the fourth, a 9-0 run from the Ospreys gave them a 12-point lead with just 4:14 to play. Back-to-back baskets from Glenn and Ashby trimmed the deficit to eight, but that would be as close as the Scarlet Raiders would get.
 
R-N falls to 9-14 overall and 7-9 in the NJAC, while Stockton improves to 11-5 in the conference and 16-7 overall. The Scarlet Raiders will host Rowan University in an important league showdown Saturday night at 6 p.m. in The Golden Dome, and prior to tip-off Rutgers-Newark will honor its seniors as part of the annual Senior Night celebration.
 
In the first half, both defenses shined as a total of just 21 points were scored in the first quarter, and the score at the half was 24-21 in favor of Stockton.
 
Simmons led the Scarlet Raiders with her fourth-straight double-double, totaling 21 points and 11 rebounds. She also added an excellent six assists, six steals and two blocked shots to her line, and the veteran now has 15 steals in her last three outings. Faith Ashby totaled 17 points and nine rebounds in a solid performance, while Glenn had 12 points, five boards and a pair of thefts. Junior forward Nikki Sammartino posted eight rebounds in a strong game underneath.
 
Rutgers-Newark shot 30.1 percent from the field, 21.7 percent from deep and 5-for-11 at the line. The Raiders totaled 11 steals and nine assists as a team, scoring 26 points in the paint and 18 points off turnovers.
 
Stockton was led by forward Najha Treadwell who notched a 14-point, 16-rebound double-double, and guard Lea Mendolla who had 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. The Ospreys shot 43.6 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from distance and 13-for-16 at the line, also holding a 45-41 margin on the glass.
 
Fans unable to make it to The Golden Dome Saturday night can watch the game for FREE live at www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com/watch.