CAMDEN, N.J. (Nov. 7, 2021) – The Penn State University-Lehigh Valley women's basketball team built a 17-point halftime lead, weathered a strong third-quarter rally and went on to defeat the Scarlet Raptors, 77-61, in the season opener for Rutgers-Camden here Sunday.
 
The Nittany Lions, who opened their season Saturday with an 80-44 win over Berkeley, improved to 2-0, while the Scarlet Raptors fell to 0-1.
 
PSU-Lehigh Valley never trailed in the game and was tied only once, at 2-2, before scoring 13 of the next 15 points. The Nittany Lions led by as many as 18 points (30-12) in the opening half before taking a 36-19 lead into the break.
 
Rutgers-Camden came out strong in the third quarter, going on a 25-13 run to slice its deficit to 49-44 late in the period. That run started with a pair of field goals by senior guard Tiazha Jackson and included 12 points from freshman guard Rahzirah Blocker, who finished with 30 points in her collegiate debut.
 
The Nittany Lions recovered to score eight of the next 10 points to grab a 57-46 lead heading into the final quarter. Sophomore guard Samantha Columna scored six of those eight points.
 
PSU-Lehigh Valley steadily built its lead in the fourth quarter, hiking its margin to as many as 18 points (68-50) before wrapping up the win.
 
Columna paced 12 players in the scoring column for the Nittany Lions, netting 14 points, while adding a game-high five steals. Senior guard Taylor Styles added 10 points, while junior guard Jah'nel Oliver had nine points, eight rebounds and a game-high nine assists. Junior guard Sage Christopher collected eight boards and eight points, while senior forward Raynah Young also added eight rebounds to help the Nittany Lions hold a 65-40 advantage off the boards.
 
Blocker shot 13-for-26 from the floor on her way to 30 points, while also tying Jackson with a team-high eight rebounds. Jackson finished with 15 points for the Scarlet Raptors, while junior guard Jalissa Pitts had team-high totals of five assists and three steals.
 
PSU-Lehigh Valley shot 30-for-76 (39.5 percent) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden shot 25-for-81 (30.9).
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Monday, Nov. 15, when it hosts Alvernia University in a 6 p.m. non-conference game.