NEWARK, NJ | The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team stumbled down the stretch against New Jersey City University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) bout tonight, 75-68, at The Golden Dome.

Samiyah Horton led Rutgers-Newark's (3-11, 1-9) quartet with 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting from the floor. Ebony Odom Barnes tallied another 12 points, 12 rebound double-double while Syncere Lambert and Elisha India Cross added 14 and 11 points, respectively. 

For New Jersey City University it was Laney Fox leading the charge with 19 points and 9 rebounds while Demaris Rodriguez added a 13 point, 11 assist double-double.

In the opening stanza of tonight's NJAC brawl, the Scarlet Raiders and Gothic Knights were evenly matched with just five points separating them after one period of play. Early on in the first quarter, the Scarlet Raiders were in full stride from behind the arc as they took a 12-7 lead on the back of Syncere Lambert and Elisha India Cross. Rutgers-Newark's offense stalled which allowed NJCU to go on a 9-3 run to vault themselves into the lead on the road. 

The second quarter was a mirror image of the first with both teams going blow for blow with each other to produce three ties. The Scarlet Raiders had a chance to head into the locker room with a lead after knotting the game up at 31, however, an untimely travel violation handed the ball back to the Gothic Knights. During the final six seconds of the half, NJCU went to the charity stripe twice and went 2-for-4 to take a two-point lead into the half. 

The pendulum began to swing into NJCU's court in the third quarter as they outscored the Scarlet Raiders 21-16 which helped bolster their lead heading into the final quarter. Rutgers-Newark's offense stalled in the final four minutes of the quarter as they were unable to find the bottom of the net, freezing them at 45 points.

In the fourth, Rutgers-Newark put their best foot forward and scored 21 points in a comeback effort, however, time was against them as they began to gain momentum the clock struck zero. 

Up Next:
The Scarlet Raiders will travel to Wayne, NJ for a rematch against William Paterson at 1:00 pm.