The game between Kean University’s Cougars and Rutgers Newark’s Scarlet Raiders started intense, as the two sides battled with an equally offensive lineup. However, the game quickly leaned in the Cougars’ favor, as they pulled ahead early and came out with a 76-58 win.
The Raiders dominated from the field as Nicole Timario landed a layup a mere fifteen seconds into the game. The Cougars quickly caught up, though, and the next few minutes featured both teams going back and forth. With less than three minutes left for the first quarter, the Raiders began to fall behind.
Despite the Cougars’ sloppy defense in the second quarter, the Scarlet Raiders failed to even the score, and by the time the team rallied, it was too late, as the Cougars had already tightened up their effort. The closest they got was 24-20, as junior Raihanna Abdus-Salaam hit a three-pointer in the third minute.
However, junior Maya Edwards quickly followed with a three-pointer. Edwards, Maddison Vaughn, and Brittany Graff led the way for Kean. Despite attempts to pull through by forward Tracey Ilderis, a forward for the Raiders with a field goal percentage of .468, Rutgers-Newark continued to lose momentum.
In the third and fourth quarters, as the arena grew more intense and desperate, it became clear what the outcome would be. The game ended as Zoe Francis-Bunkley landed a layup for the Raiders.
From a Raiders’ standpoint, the main issue with the game was not merely the individual performance of each Raider but a combination of miscommunication and shoddy teamwork that caused the game to unravel. This, along with a high number of travel calls for the away team, may have led to the defeat they witnessed. Despite this, it was a thrilling game with wondrous moments of triumph for both sides.