CAMDEN, N.J. (Jan. 8, 2025) – The Rutgers University-Camden women's basketball team nearly rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half, but the Scarlet Raptors' comeback bid was cut short when Stockton University posted a 66-56 victory here Wednesday night in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.
 
The Ospreys improved to 8-5 overall and 4-2 in the NJAC, while Rutgers-Camden fell to 6-7 overall and 2-4 in conference play. Stockton has won its last 11 games against Rutgers-Camden and leads the all-time series, 71-22.
 
The Scarlet Raptors trailed by as many as 13 points (26-13) in the first half and were behind, 28-19, at the break.
 
Rutgers-Camden trailed by 10 points late in the third quarter (40-30) before cutting its deficit to 42-37 entering the final quarter. When senior forward Taylor Hinson scored on a layup early in the fourth quarter to make it a 44-42 game, that was the closest the Scarlet Raptors came to the Ospreys since early in the opening frame. Stockton countered with a pair of foul shots by sophomore guard Katie Rausch, but Rutgers-Camden again sliced its deficit to two points (46-44) on a layup by senior guard Rahzirah Blocker.
 
After Stockton reestablished a nine-point lead (58-49) down the stretch, Rutgers-Camden went on a seven-point run to slice the deficit to 58-56 with 1:22 remaining. That run included four foul shots by graduate forward Aiya Underwood, who had played her undergraduate career at Stockton, and a big three-pointer by senior guard Lanae Johnson-Kleinpeter.
 
Stockton, however, closed out the scoring with the last eight points, including a huge three-pointer by Rausch, to wrap up its win.
 
Junior forward Grace Speer paced the Ospreys with a game-high 22 points, while junior guard Imene Fathi had 10 points and five assists.
 
Blocker and Johnson-Kleinpeter collected 12 points apiece for Rutgers-Camden, while Hinson added 10. Freshman guard Hope Goodwine dished off a game-high six assists, while freshman forward Courtney Edmundo added eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Stockton shot 25-for-59 (42.4 percent) from the floor and 14-for-25 (56.0) from the line, while Rutgers-Camden went 17-for-56 (30.4) from the floor and 19-for-33 (57.6) from the foul line.
 
The Ospreys held a 46-42 edge off the boards and made two fewer turnovers (20-18) than the Scarlet Raptors.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to NJAC action Saturday with a 3 p.m. game at Kean University.