NEWARK, NJ | Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team trailed by just three after the opening stanza against Montclair State University this evening but the Red Hawks would have an offensive explosion that sent them into the half with a 12-point lead. The Scarlet Raiders were unable to close the game as their losing streak extended to 10 in a row with the 71-55 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) loss. 

Rutgers University-Newark (1-11, 0-6) was led by Elisha India Cross with 13 points and three assists. Louise Ann Borja added 9 points and grabbed three rebounds while Dorian Capurso tallied eight and led the team with three steals. The Scarlet Raiders edge Montclair 11-10 in fast break points and received 21 points from their bench.

Montclair State (9-3, 4-2) used their size to beat the Scarlet Raiders on the board and outrebounded Rutgers University-Newark 57-22. Alex McKinnon led the team with 20 points, however, Cerys MacLelland grabbed 17 rebounds and scored seven points. Nearly tallying a double-double, Taylor Brown scored 9 points and pulled down 12 boards in the win.

Montclair took the lead from the opening whistle, hitting a quick three to set the tone for the game. The Scarlet Raiders were able to keep in close during the first quarter and didn't allow the Red Hawks to record a double-digit lead. When it looked as if Montclair might pull away early, Hannah Ashby hit a pair of layups to cut the lead down to one. 

In the second quarter, Montclair got hot and took the three-point lead they had with just 3:31 until half and extended it to 12 by the end of the half. 

In the second half, the Scarlet Raiders were unable to keep up with the Red Hawks as they continued to use their size which led to 27-second chance points which would end up being the deciding factor in the game. 

The Scarlet Raiders mad a push in the fourth quarter and were able to bring their deficit down to 11 when Cross hit a layup on a pass from Borja. Montclair, however, responded with a 7-1 run which stopped the Scarlet Raiders' comeback attempt and sealed the game.

Rutgers University-Newark will look to return to the win column on Saturday, January 11 when they travel south to take on Rutgers University-Camden in another NJAC bout at 1:00 pm.