CAMDEN, N.J. (Feb. 5, 2021) – With one quarter remaining here Friday, the Rutgers University-Camden women's basketball team had put itself in a good position to win its season opener.
 
The fourth quarter, however, turned into a nightmare for the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Rutgers-Newark went on a 25-9 run in the final 10 minutes as it rallied from a deep hole to defeat Rutgers-Camden, 65-63, on a buzzer-beater by sophomore guard Samiyah Horton.
 
Newark has now won four of its last six games against Rutgers-Camden and holds a 41-31 lead in the all-time series.
 
Camden appeared ready to slice into its all-time series deficit, building a 54-40 lead entering the final quarter. Junior forward Tiazha Jackson scored 17 points through three quarters, while sophomore forward Jalissa Pitts added 15 points and 10 rebounds in the first 30 minutes.
 
The outlook appeared even brighter when Jackson opened the fourth quarter with a jumper, making it a 56-40 game. Newark, however, went on a 22-5 run, and when junior guard Elisha India Cross hit a layup with 2:54 remaining, the Scarlet Raiders suddenly held a 62-61 lead. It was their first lead since a 21-19 score early in the second quarter.
 
A foul shot by junior guard Syncere Lambert made it a 63-61 game with 14 seconds remaining, but Jackson tied the game at 63-63 on a jumper with five seconds remaining. That set the stage for the final heartbreak, as Newark missed a shot, grabbed a rebound and scored on a desperation jumper by Horton with the final buzzer sounding.
 
Horton scored 22 points to lead four Scarlet Raiders in double figures. Cross and Lambert both added 14 points. Sophomore forward Ebony Odom Barnes notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for Newark, which held a 41-36 edge off the boards.
 
Jackson canned a game-high 25 points in her Rutgers-Camden debut. The transfer played her first two seasons at the City College of San Francisco.
 
Pitts added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, tying junior guard Kylar Coughlin for team-high rebounding honors.
 
The Scarlet Raptors travel to Newark for a 7 p.m. game Saturday to conclude their NJAC home-and-home series.