NEWARK, NJ | The Rutgers University women's basketball team had their 2020-21 season come to a close tonight after a 74-44 loss to Kean University in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Quarterfinal at The Golden Dome. 

#4 Rutgers University-Newark (2-5, 2-4 NJAC) was led on the scoring end by Samiyah Horton's team-high 18 points. Syncere Lambert added 10 points for the Scarlet Raiders while Shyleea Ryan led the squad with six rebounds. 

#5 Kean University (3-6, 2-6 NJAC) Casey Filiault was the star for the Cougars this evening, leading the team with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. Shannon McCoy was held to just 12 points after her scoring outburst last week. Shahd Badeer recorded a double-double for her team with 10 points and 10 rebounds while adding four blocks.

The Scarlet Raiders' defense was much improved in the third meeting between the Scarlet Raiders and the Cougars this evening. After shooting a red-hot 50%+ from range in their last meeting Rutgers-Newark quieted the Cougars' long-range onslaught and held them to just 18% from three-point range. Although the Scarlet Raiders' defense was doing their part, their offense struggled to get going in the first half as they shot 21.7% from the field. 

Rutgers-Newark's offense committed 14 turnovers in the first half which sent them into the locker room down 34-13. Madison Diaz was the bright spot for her squad in the first half, scoring four points on 50% shooting from the floor while Horton added another quad. Kellie Martinez and Shyleea Ryan cleaned the boards for the Scarlet Raiders as they each grabbed three in the first half.

After being held to just 13 points in the first half the Scarlet Raiders' offense came to life in the second half, scoring 31 points. However, they were too far behind after the sluggish first half to overcome their deficit. 

In the third quarter the Scarlet Raiders chipped away at the lead in the early goings before a four-minute scoring drought set them back once more. The fourth quarter saw Rutgers-Newark score their most points of the game, 19, which outscored the Cougars by a pair.

A two-minute quiet spell for the Cougars allowed the Scarlet Raiders to gain ground the fourth with Eliana Huancaya, Martinez, and Lambert all scoring points during that stretch. However, the Cougars wouldn't stay dormant for long as they returned to their inside dominance which allowed them to close out the game and advance to the NJAC Semifinal round. 

It was the interior game that was the difference in this matchup with Kean scoring 48 points in the painted area compared to just 20 for the Scarlet Raiders. 

With the season coming to a close, the Scarlet Raiders will hope for a more normalized season in 2021-22 and build off of what they started this year.