Box Score

CAMDEN, N.J. (Feb. 1, 2017) – Heading into the fourth quarter of its big New Jersey Athletic Conference showdown with Stockton University, the Rutgers University-Camden women's basketball team appeared to be in a pretty good position here Wednesday night.
 
Up by seven points, however, the Scarlet Raptors watched that lead vanish as the Ospreys pulled out a 60-59 victory in a key NJAC game. The win lifts the Ospreys to 15-6 overall and 10-4 in the NJAC, while the Scarlet Raptors fall to 13-8 and 7-7.
 
Stockton has won 29 of its last 30 games against Rutgers-Camden and leads the all-time series, 59-19. Few of those losses were as frustrating as this one for the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Trailing by 47-40 entering the fourth quarter, junior guard Lea Mendolla (Nutley, NJ/Mount St. Dominic) started the Ospreys' comeback with a three-pointer. After Rutgers-Camden received a layup from senior center Caroline Santiago (Buena, NJ/Buena Regional), the Ospreys ran off five straight points to cut their deficit to 49-48. Junior forward/center Sasha Williams (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) scored the first field goal with a layup, then rebounded a missed Raptor shot to set up another trey by Mendolla.
 
Two minutes later, with the Scarlet Raptors leading, 53-52, Mendolla hit another three-pointer to give Stockton a 55-53 advantage. Once again, Rutgers-Camden tied the game, this time on a jumper by junior guard/forward Cara Racobaldo (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) before Mendolla struck with another trey.
 
Down by three points, the Scarlet Raptors fought back on a pair of foul shots by junior guard Jovan Childers (Bridgeton, NJ/Bridgeton) and a jumper by junior forward/center Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) to take a 59-58 lead with 1:06 remaining.
 
Moments later, Williams rebounded a missed Raptor shot and a foul put Mendolla on the line, where she sank two foul shots with 18.3 seconds remaining, lifting the Ospreys ahead, 60-59. The Scarlet Raptors had one last shot as the clock wound down, but it was off the mark and the rebound was grabbed by senior guard Taylor Christina (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea), who was fouled with .3 seconds remaining. A final contested inbounds pass was batted away as time expired.
 
Mendolla finished with a game-high 21 points and a team-high four steals, while Williams notched a double-double of 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. She helped Stockton control the boards, 47-34.
 
Racobaldo had a team-high 19 points and four steals for the Scarlet Raptors, while Childers added 18 points and Obasi had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Childers' 18 points lifted her over the 800-point plateau for her combined collegiate career between Neumann University, Cumberland County College and Rutgers-Camden, giving her 805 points. Racobaldo hiked her career mark in steals to 201.
 
Sophomore guard Gabby Greene (Howell, NJ/Howell) had a career-high eight steals. She also added one three-pointer in her game total of five points, inching her to within one trey of the single-season Rutgers-Camden record. Greene owns 72 three-pointers this year, approaching the mark of 73 set by Alex Gravinese during the 2014-15 season.
 
Rutgers-Camden closes the week Saturday when it travels to Kean University for a 3 p.m. NJAC game.