CAMDEN, NJ (Feb. 8, 2025) – The Kean University women's basketball team outscored Rutgers University-Camden, 18-8, in the second quarter and held on to outlast the Scarlet Raptors, 66-60, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.
The Cougars improved to 11-11 overall and 8-7 in conference play. The Scarlet Raptors fell to 8-14 overall and 4-11 in the NJAC with their fourth straight loss.
Kean has won its last eight games against Rutgers-Camden and leads the all-time series, 58-23.
Rutgers-Camden jumped out to a quick 15-10 lead after one quarter, including six points from graduate student forward
Aiya Underwood and five from freshman guard
Hope Goodwine. Five quick Kean points by graduate student guard Brittany Graff opened the second half to tie the game at 15-15. After the teams traded leads, the Cougars took the lead for good, 20-18, on a trey by junior guard Jordyn Keating.
Rutgers-Camden sliced its deficit to one point on a pair of occasions but couldn't regain the lead. Kean led by as many as 16 points 53-37 and 55-39) midway through the fourth quarter before Rutgers-Camden sliced its gap to four points in the last minute (61-57 and 64-60). Keating closed out the scoring with a pair of foul shots with two seconds remaining.
Senior forward/center Maddison Vaughn had a big day for the Cougars, collecting game-high totals of 20 points and 15 rebounds. Junior guard Erika Mercedes added 18 points and Graff canned 15, in addition to dishing out a game-high eight assists. Sophomore guard Brooke Sztenderowicz grabbed nine rebounds to help the Cougars hold a 41-38 advantage off the boards.
Goodwine and senior guard
Rahzirah Blocker paced the Scarlet Raptors with 16 points apiece. Freshman forward
Courtney Edmundo added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Edmundo and senior guard
Lanae Johnson-Kleinpeter both dished off five assists, while Underwood finished with nine points and five rebounds.
Kean shot 25-for-55 (45.5 percent) from the floor and Rutgers-Camden shot 25-for-68 (36.8). From the line, the Cougars went 8-for-21 (38.1) and the Raptors went 5-for-11 (45.5).
Rutgers-Camden returns to NJAC action on Wednesday with a 5:30 p.m. NJAC game at Stockton University.
