WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 27, 2021) – The Gallaudet University women's basketball team raced to a 20-9 first-quarter lead and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 83-70, in a non-conference game here Saturday afternoon.
Rutgers-Camden fell to 0-4, while Gallaudet won its first game of the season to improve to 1-2.
Gallaudet led all the way after scoring the first four points of the game. Leading, 6-4, the Bison scored the next 14 points to grab a 20-4 lead before ending the opening quarter with a 20-9 lead. They led, 46-27, at halftime and 60-46 by the end of the third quarter.
The Scarlet Raptors trailed by double digits most of the way, beginning with their 14-4 deficit. Gallaudet held its biggest lead (25 points) at 52-27. Rutgers-Camden had a chance to narrow the gap under double digits on several occasions in the final quarter, cutting the margin to 10 points three times, with the final time coming at 74-64.
Senior guard Emelia Beldon led four players in double figures for the Bison, scoring 20 points. Sophomore guard Sunita Schmidjorg and sophomore forward Cassidy Perry scored 19 points apiece, including 14 and 10, respectively, in the opening half. Freshman guard Crystal Salit added 10 points for Gallaudet.
Perry and Beldon notched 12 and 10 rebounds, respectively, as the Bison held a 49-32 advantage off the boards. Beldon dished out nine assists, while Perry blocked five shots.
Rutgers-Camden received a game-high 26 points from freshman guard
Rahzirah Blocker. A trio of Raptors, junior forward
Salina Jones, senior guard
Tiazha Jackson and sophomore forward
Carleigh Galasso, added 11 points apiece. Junior guard/forward
Jalissa Pitts led the Scarlet Raptors with 10 rebounds.
Jackson had five assists and Jones notched a game-high four steals for the Scarlet Raptors.
Rutgers-Camden shot 28-for-70 (40.0 percent) from the floor, including 3-for-13 (23.1) from three-point range. Gallaudet went 28-for-59 (47.5) and 3-for-10 (30.0), respectively. The Bison also hit 24 of 41 foul shots (58.5), while the Scarlet Raptors were 11-for-14 (78.6).
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Monday when it hosts John Jay College of Criminal Justice in a 7 p.m. non-conference game.
