NEWARK, N.J. (January 5, 2019) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball cruised to an important New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory over visiting Rutgers University-Camden tonight, 69-52. The Scarlet Raiders improve to 8-6 (5-2 NJAC) while the Scarlet Raptors fall to 6-6 (3-4 NJAC).

Senior Faith Ashby was honored before the game with a 1,000-point ball after eclipsing the career mark earlier this season and led a very balanced R-N attack that featured four double-digit scorers with 14 points. Faith had an efficient night, going 6-of-8 (75.0%) from the field while racking up a team-best seven assists in addition to six rebounds and two steals.

Juniors Hannah Ashby and Comfort Akinbo each contributed 12 points. Hannah shot 2-for-4 from beyond the arc in addition to seven boards, four dimes, and two steals. Akinbo went 4-of-8 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Rookie Elisha India Cross rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points on a pair of trifectas and a 4-of-4 night at the line. Cross also added a team-high eight caroms while chipping in three assists.

The Raiders return to league action on Wednesday night at Stockton with a 6 p.m. tip.

Rutgers-Newark got off to a good start in the first quarter, jumping out to a 10-5 lead. Trailing 5-4 early, Capurso converted back-to-back baskets before Faith Ashby added a driving lay-in double up Rutgers-Camden with 6:29 on the clock.

Still, the Scarlet Raptors' 3-point shooting kept the visitors in the game. Wykira Johnson-Kelly hit two trifectas while Fatimah Williams buried a shot from beyond the arc as R-C claimed a slim 14-12 edge.

That deficit would not last long for the Scarlet Raiders as Hannah Ashby drilled a triple to put the hosts back in front and spark a 10-0 surge to end the period. Akinbo contributed a put back off her own miss and Faith Ashby scored the last five points of the run including a tough shot from downtown with a defender in her face as time expired that had her squad ahead 22-14.

R-N continued that momentum into the second period with consecutive lay-ups from Hannah Ashby and junior Louise Ann Borja that saw the home team open up a 26-14 advantage.

Rutgers-Camden hung around for a few minutes, cutting its deficit to nine points three times with the last occasion coming at the 2:48 mark.  

The Raiders would not let their foes any closer than that and scored six straight points to take a 34-19 lead with 1:23 remaining before the break.

The Raptors netted the final three points of the half as R-N held a commanding 34-22 advantage heading into the locker rooms.

Rutgers-Newark would cruise in the third quarter, never leading by fewer than 12 points and expanding its lead to 17 on two occasions. A 3-pointer from Cross followed by a pair of Borja free throws had the hosts in front 48-31 while Cross drained another trifecta to make it 51-34 with 1:16 left in the period.

The Scarlet Raiders maintained a comfortable 51-36 margin headed into the final 10 minutes.

In the fourth, Newark consistently held an insurmountable lead as Camden never trailed by fewer than 13 and the Raiders coasted to a 69-52 win.