NEWARK, NJ | A late rally was not enough to propel the Scarlet Raiders to a victory over The College of New Jersey on Wednesday night at The Golden Dome as Rutgers-Newark fell, 70-62 in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. 

Brya Byrd had a career night for Rutgers-Newark (3-9, 1-7) in the loss. Byrd recorded career-highs in points (8), rebounds (7), and minutes (14). Syncere Lambert led the team with a season-high 21 points while Ebony Odom Barnes added a 15 point, 13 rebound double-double. 

Izzy Leazier led The College of New Jersey (7-6, 4-2) with 22 points while Emily Toy followed up with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Scarlet Raiders, playing at The Golden Dome for the first time since December 11, 2021, had a sluggish start to the game, registering just 9 points in the opening stanza. After falling behind 17-9, Rutgers-Newark found their stride in the second quarter and outscored the Lions 14-12 to cut the lead down to six. Aiding the Scarlet Raiders' resurgence was Odom Barnes who was crucial for the Scarlet Raiders and helped keep her squad within striking distance of the Lions with 10 first-half points.

Rutgers-Newark's third quarter mirrored the first quarter as they were outscored 21-11 before exploding for 28 points in the fourth. With their backs against the wall, Rutgers-Newark went on an 18-4 run to cut the lead down to just five with 3:38 to go in the game. Unfortunately, the Scarlet Raiders' offense stalled at 52 which allowed TCNJ to push their lead back out to double-digits (12) with 51 seconds to go. The Scarlet Raiders, however, were relentless and refused to throw in the towel as they continued to find ways to find the bottom of the net. The women just needed a bit more time as the clock struck zero, stopping them from completing their comeback. 

Up Next:
Rutgers-Newark heads south on Saturday, January 12 to take on Stockton University in NJAC play at 1:00 pm.