Rutgers-Newark Athletics

NEWARK, NJ – Senior forward Courtney Vacca had 11 rebounds and eight points on her Senior Night, but No. 7 William Paterson handed Rutgers-Newark a 58-42 loss in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game in The Golden Dome.

William Paterson 58, Rutgers-Newark 42

Junior guard Martyna Ruminska made three of five shots from beyond the arc to finish with a team-high 11 points plus five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Sophomore guard Jared Tactuk had 10 points, three rebounds and a team-high three assists.

Freshman guard Kristen Venning had five rebounds, four points, two assists and a steal for Rutgers-Newark which lost its ninth straight NJAC decision. Freshman forward Keira Williams came off the bench to hit both of her shots – including a 3-pointer – for five points.

Sophomore guard BriAnna Lucas paced a balance Pioneer attack with 15 points. Senior guard Julie Haledjian netted 11 points and dished out a game-high four assists while senior forward Erin Cook collared 11 rebounds and added nine points.

Rutgers-Newark never got out of the blocks, falling behind 19-3 during the opening 11:30 of the contest. After trailing 29-12 at halftime, the Raiders whittled the deficit to 32-21 with 15:28 left on a free throw by Tactuk. But, that was as close as the score would get.

The Scarlet Raiders (8-16, NJAC 2-10) stayed alive in the race for the NJAC Championship Tournament, however, because of New Jersey City’s loss at Montclair State. Rutgers-Newark, Ramapo and NJCU could finish in a three-way deadlock for the third and final North Division berth in the six-team championship format. A New Jersey City loss at WPU on Wednesday coupled with a Raider win at Ramapo would – under NJAC rules – force the three teams to playoff on Thursday and Friday for the right to take on the South Division’s second seed on Saturday. Coin flips would give one team a Friday home game against the loser of Thursday’s opening play-in game. The site of that game would also be decided by a coin toss.

Rutgers-Newark takes on Ramapo in Mahwah at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the regular-season ending NJAC doubleheader. The men will play at 7:30 p.m.