Montclair, NJ| The Scarlet Raiders women's basketball team took on Montclair State University this evening in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) showdown and it was the Red Hawks that emerged victorious, 65-39.  

Rutgers University Newark (4-19, 2-14) was lead by Hannah Ashby, who played every minute Wednesday night. She was almost perfect from the free-throw line as she went 7-for-8. Ashby finished the game with a team-high 13 points. Brielle Mattiello finished with seven points on 2-of-4 shooting from the floor and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe. Elisha India Cross led the Scarlet Raiders with six rebounds and a pair of assists. 

Montclair State University (18-5, 13-3) the second-ranked team inside the NJAC, showed off their rebounding ability tonight snagging 59 in total.  Kayla Bush, was 5-11 with 10 points, and had a double-double finishing the game with 11 rebounds. The NJAC's leading rebounder, Alex McKinnon, had a game-high 16-points for the Red Hawks.

The Scarlet Raiders trailed the Red Hawks 22-15 at the half after a strong defensive effort. Ashby was able to force her way to the line connecting on 6-of-6 free throws. This plus the constant on-ball defense from the women of Rutgers-Newark kept the game close.

In the second half, the women made a push, scoring 11 and 13 points in the final two quarters but it wasn't enough to overcome their first half deficit as the Red Hawks made sure to stay ahead of the Scarlet Raiders.

Next up for the Rutgers-Newark women will come this Saturday night inside the Golden Dome against Rowan University at 6:00pm on senior night.