Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Nov. 21, 2017) – The Rutgers University-Camden and The College of New Jersey women's basketball teams took turns trading runs and overcoming deficits in their New Jersey Athletic Conference opener here Wednesday night.
 
After seven lead changes and five tie scores, however, it was the Lions that came out on top, 75-72, behind a 24-point performance by sophomore forward Jen Byrne (Medford, NJ/Shawnee).
 
TCNJ improves to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference, while Rutgers-Camden falls to 2-2 and 0-1. The victory snapped a five-game Raptor winning streak against the Lions, hiking TCNJ's lead to 55-12 in the all-time series.
 
After the Lions jumped out to a quick 15-8 lead midway through the opening quarter, the Scarlet Raptors fought back with a 14-4 run, taking a 22-19 lead at the end of the period on a three-pointer by junior guard Gabby Greene (Howell, NJ/Howell).
 
The second quarter brought more of the same, as a 7-4 Raptor run, leading to a 29-23 advantage, was answered by a 16-4 run by the Lions, who took a 39-33 lead into halftime. Byrne had 17 points in the opening half, while junior forward Samantha Famulare (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township) added 11. For Rutgers-Camden, Greene had 12 points and senior forward/center Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) added 11 in the first 20 minutes.
 
Behind four points from senior guard/forward Cara Racobaldo (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) and two by Obasi, the Scarlet Raptors rattled off the first six points of the third quarter, tying the game at 39-39. After the Lions regrouped to surge into a 52-44 lead, aided by treys from Byrne and junior guard Kate O'Leary (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull), Rutgers-Camden made yet another push. An 11-2 run put the Scarlet Raptors back on top, 55-54, and they finished the third quarter with a 57-56 advantage. That run was sparked by a three-pointer from freshman guard Jordan Harbaugh (Mantua, NJ/Clearview Regional) and featured six straight points from Obasi.
 
TCNJ finally took the lead for good, 58-57, on the opening layup of the fourth quarter by freshman forward Shannon Devitt (Westfield, NJ/Westfield). The Lions built their lead to 67-60 midway through the quarter, saw it sliced to 67-65 on a layup by Obasi and a trey by Greene, and finally hung on for the win. The Raptors cut a six-point deficit to 75-72 on a three-pointer by Racobaldo in the last nine seconds, but a desperation three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.
 
Byrne finished with 24 points to lead four Lions in double figures. O'Leary notched 19, while Famulare and Devitt both added 13. Devitt finished with a double-double, also grabbing 14 rebounds, while Byrne dished out a game-high five assists.
 
Obasi, pictured above, led all scorers with 27 points, one shy of her career high which came against the same team, TCNJ, on Nov. 22, 2016. The 27 points lifted Obasi past two players on the program's all-time scoring list and into 14th place with 934 points. Obasi also led the Raptors with eight rebounds.
 
Greene, meanwhile, canned 18 points, aided by 4-for-11 shooting from three-point range. Her four treys gave her 146 for her career, tying Megan Crank (1992-96) for third on the program's all-time list. She is only one behind second-place Maureen McGovern (1994-99). Greene also added a game-high four steals, pushing her career total to 103. She became the 22nd player in program history to pass the 100-steal mark.
 
Racobaldo finished with 15 points, seven boards, three steals and tied Harbaugh with a team-high four assists. Racobaldo, who was recognized before the game for setting the program's all-time assist mark over the weekend, now has 374 career assists.
 
TCNJ shot 27-for-62 from the floor (43.5 percent) and also shot the same percentage from three-point range (10-for-23). The Lions were 11-for-16 (68.8) from the line and held a 47-36 advantage off the boards.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 29-for-70 (41.4) from the floor and 7-for-22 (31.8) from long distance. The Raptors were 7-for-11 from the foul line.
 
Rutgers-Camden will return to action Sunday when it travels to Washington, D.C. to face Gallaudet University in a 3 p.m. non-conference game.