NEWARK, NJ | In a rematch of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship game the Cougars were able to get revenge as they went on to win 78-68 at the Golden Dome. 

Rutgers University-Newark (3-16, 1-11) was led by Comfort Akinbo's season-high 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Akinbo also led the team with 9 rebounds as she just missed her first double-double of the year. Louise Ann Borja finished with 14 and Syncere Lambert added 12. Elisha India Cross led the team with five assists.

Kean University (13-6, 9-3) had Payce Lange score 24 points and grab six rebounds while shooting 10-for-16 from the floor. Shannon McCoy added 15 points and a team-high 9 rebounds in the win. Emily Dominguez dished out a team-high four assists while Cindy Foresta secured three blocks.

Both teams came out firing in the first quarter as they raced up the court and traded baskets. Kean found their stride from behind the arc early. The Cougars cashed in on three of their five attempts from range while the Scarlet Raiders struggled, going 1-for-9 from deep. Comfort Akinbo kept the Scarlet Raiders' offensive sequences alive which gave them a 7-4 edge in second-chance points. Towards the end of the first stanza, the Cougars started to pull away from the Scarlet Raiders hitting 6-of-7 attempts that carried over into the second quarter. 

Rutgers University-Newark chipped away at the lead and with 6:21 found themselves down just five, 27-22.  Kean got hot and went on a 14-3 run that lasted over four minutes which put the Scarlet Raiders further behind. Lange was on fire for the Cougars in the first half, shooting 7-for-10 from the floor while her team shot 65.5%. The Scarlet Raiders upped their shooting from the opening quarter and shot 35.7% from the floor and 66.7% from three.

After going into the half down 14, 44-30, the Scarlet Raiders came out strong in the third period as Brielle Mattiello hit 3-of-4 shots to help Rutgers-Newark shorten the lead. An 11-4 run over a three-minute span brought the Scarlet Raiders within 10 after applying pressure with the press. Akinbo led the team during that span with four points while Elisha India Cross added three.

In the final quarter of the play, the Scarlet Raiders stayed within arm's reach of the Cougars but were unable to put together the necessary run to take the lead. 

The women return to action on Saturday, February 1 at 3:00 pm when they travel to Jersey City to take on New Jersey City University.