NEWARK, NJ | Samiyah Horton continued her string of great outings with the best overall performance of her career. Horton tallied a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals in the 62-55 win over FDU-Florham tonight at The Golden Dome.

Rutgers-Newark (2-2) shot 33.3% from the floor while FDU-Florham (0-2) shot 30%. Elisha India Cross and Syncere Lambert each added 9 points with Cross leading the way with eight assists. After Horton, it was Tracey Ilderis helping clean the boards with eight rebounds.

The Scarlet Raiders have struggled in the first quarter of games this season and in their home opener, it was no different. Rutgers-Newark shot just 16% from the floor in the opening stanza, however, the Devils didn't fare much better. FDU-Florham did find success early in the first quarter, jumping out to a 7-0 run before Samiyah Horton put Rutgers-Newark on the board with a driving layup. 

As the game wore on, the Scarlet Raiders began to settle in and began to take the game over. Syncere Lambert gave Rutgers-Newark their first lead of the game with a three-point basket before Kellie Martinez followed up with one of her own. Leading 15-11, the Scarlet Raiders' defense began to feed off of the offense and started creating turnovers which pushed their lead out further. What helped the Scarlet Raiders to have such an explosive second quarter was their ability to drive and kick to the three-point line for an open shot. With momentum on their side, the Scarlet Raiders carried a 30-20 lead into the half.

Rutgers-Newark kept the pressure on the Devils out of the break and extended their lead to 13 heading into the final quarter of play. Horton helped keep the Scarlet Raiders ahead in the third as the Devils were cutting into their lead. Horton scored five late points which suppressed any rally by FDU-Florham.

The Devils had their most productive quarter of the game with their backs against the wall in the fourth and cut the lead down to seven with 1:25 left to play. With 26 seconds remaining, Angela Downey cashed in from behind the arc to bring the Devils within three of the Scarlet Raiders. FDU-Florham would begin to play the foul game, hoping for the Scarlet Raiders to miss, however, Rutgers-Newark would close out the game to level their record at .500. 

Up Next:
The Scarlet Raiders will take on St. Elizabeth on Friday night in Morristown, NJ at 6:00 pm and look to move over .500.