JERSEY CITY, N.J. (December 8, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team pulled away at the end of the third quarter en route to a comfortable 69-53 win at New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe NJCU. The Scarlet Raiders improve to 6-3 (4-1 NJAC) while the Gothic Knights fall to 0-8 (0-5 NJAC).

Senior Faith Ashby led four Rutgers-Newark players in double-figures scoring with 19 points. She also contributed eight rebounds and five assists. Junior Comfort Akinbo had her best game so far this season with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds in addition to three blocks. Junior Hannah Ashby had a strong all-around contest with 10 points, a team-best eight assists, four boards, three blocks, and two steals. Rookie Dorian Capurso rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points on an efficient 4-of-5 afternoon from the field while chipping in with seven caroms and two rejections.

The Raiders return to action on Wednesday as they stay on the road in NJAC play with a matchup against Montclair State scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip.  

NJCU jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead but three different Raiders contributed to a surge that had the contest knotted at 8-8.

The Gothic Knights rebounded with the next six points, however, R-N roared back with 12 consecutive tallies to gain its first advantage of the game. Capurso contributed eight points during the run with her 3-pointer putting the visitors in front 16-14 before Faith Ashby capped the surge with a lay-in that made it 20-14.

The hosts hit a pair of free throws to close the scoring for an eventful first quarter as the Scarlet Raiders had a 20-16 edge.

NJCU rallied to even the score once again early in the second period at 20-20. Still, Rutgers-Newark tallied nine of the next 11 points to open up a 29-22 advantage that the team would not concede.

After the hosts pulled within five at 32-27, the Raiders had a 7-2 surge that earned their first double-digit lead. Hannah Ashby began the run with a trifecta while an Akinbo jumper made it 39-29.

Newark took a 40-32 lead into the locker rooms.

The Scarlet Raiders maintained a comfortable lead for most of the third before pulling away with a big run in the final four minutes of the period.

R-N turned a nine-point edge into a 19-point margin with an 11-1 spurt. The visitors went to work in the paint with six straight points from Akinbo and a lay-up by Faith Ashby before junior Megan Mack capped the run, and the quarter, with a shot from downtown to send the Raiders into the final 10 minutes up 59-40.

Rutgers-Newark continued that momentum into the fourth, starting the scoring when Hannah Ashby took a feed from Faith Ashby and drove down the left-side of the lane for a basket. Then, the visitors turned defense into offense as an Akinbo block on one end led to a fastbreak lay-in for rookie Radaisha Talley off a nice pass by Faith Ashby that extended the lead to 23 points and forced the Gothic Knights to take a timeout.

That would prove to be the Raiders' largest lead of the game as they coasted to a 69-53 victory.