EWING, NJ | The Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team traveled south this evening to take on The College of New Jersey in their final New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) regular season game. The Lions' offense was too much for the Scarlet Raiders to overcome as TCNJ defeated Rutgers-Newark, XX-XX.
Rutgers-Newark (4-18, 2-16) was led by Syncere Lambert offensively with 10 points while Ebony Odom Barnes and Tracey Ilderis added six apiece. On the boards, it was Ilderis cleaning them to the tune of 10 with six of them coming on the offensive end.
The College of New Jersey (11-12, 8-10) had three Lions score in double figures with Nina Branchizio sitting atop that list with 14. Julia Setaro and Izzy Leazier added 13 and 10, respectively. Kaitlyn Deiter dished the ball to her teammates and accumulated a team-high three assists in the win.
The Scarlet Raiders' offense struggled out of the gate this evening, as they were only able to collect three points in the first quarter of play. The Lions, on their home court, took an early 15-3 lead after unlocking the Scarlet Raiders' defense. Lambert and co found their stride in the second stanza and poured in 11 points, however, the Lions strengthened their offensive output as well, adding 22 more to their tally to take a 37-14 lead into the half.
Out of the break, the Scarlet Raiders continued to swing momentum in their favor which led to a 12-11 edge in the third quarter. In the third, the Scarlet Raiders used a 8-2 run led by Elisha India Cross, Fancy Janvier, and Brya Byrd. Rutgers-Newark was unable to sustain their offense in the fourth as the Lions held them to five points while adding 14 to their own tally.
Up Next:
The Scarlet Raiders will gear up for the NJAC Tournament Opening Round on Saturday, February 19.
