NJAC Tournament Bracket

NEWARK, N.J. (February 13, 2019) – On Senior Night, the Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team dropped a tough New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) matchup with Stockton University in The Golden Dome, 59-55. The Scarlet Raiders close the regular season at 13-12 (10-8 NJAC) while the Ospreys end 2018-19 with an 8-17 (5-13 NJAC) mark.

Prior to the game, Rutgers-Newark honored seniors Faith Ashby and Chelsea Scott as well as graduate assistant coach Abby Ianotti for their contributions to the program over the course of their careers here. Ashby will graduate as one of the most prolific scorers in Raiders history with 1,347 points to her name after tonight.

Rutgers-Newark, despite the loss, managed to secure the fourth-seed in the NJAC Championship Tournament and will host fifth-seeded Rutgers University-Camden in the Brick City on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

Against Stockton, the Scarlet Raiders were led by junior Louise Ann Borja who had a season-best 13 points off the bench. Borja was efficient shooting 4-of-7 from the field, 1-for-2 on 3-pointers, and 4-for-4 at the free throw line. Faith Ashby scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, compiled seven steals, dished out five assists, and added two blocks for good measure on a fantastic all-around night. Junior Hannah Ashby rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points, including a pair of trifectas.

Following an early 7-7 deadlock, the hosts looked to get some breathing room in the first quarter. Hannah Ashby began the run by draining a shot from downtown. Then Borja added a pair of freebies before junior Comfort Akinbo chipped in with a lay-up to make it 14-7 at the 37 second mark.

The Ospreys would not back down though and scored the last five points of the period to make it a two-point contest.

Leading 20-17 with 7:02 before the break, the Raiders went on another surge. Borja began the run with a lay-up followed by a triple to extend the lead to eight.

After a Stockton basket, Akinbo hit two free throws and Borja added another basket in the paint to extend the advantage to 29-19 with 5:06 on the clock.

The Ospreys rallied again, ending the second on an 8-2 spurt that sliced their deficit down to four headed into the locker rooms.

The squads remained close throughout the third with two lead changes and one tie. Trailing 37-33, Stockton went on a quick 5-0 run to take the lead. Still, three different Raiders each hit a freebie to get the hosts back in front 40-38 at the end of the period.

The final quarter featured four ties and four lead changes as the teams battled all the way down the stretch. The score was deadlocked at 40, 42, 44, and 46 as neither side could grab control. A pair of clutch Borja free throws made it 46-46 with 4:55 on the clock but Emily Donzanti responded with a fast break lay-in seconds later that would put the visitors up for good.

That Donzanti bucket sparked an 8-0 surge that had Stockton up 54-46 at the 1:55 mark. A Hannah Ashby 3-pointer and Faith Ashby lay-in made it a three-point game with 1:11 to play but that was as close as R-N would get.