NEWARK, N.J. - Senior forward Jade Howard totaled 31 points as Rutgers University-Newark battled past Kean University, 77-70, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference showdown in The Golden Dome Arena.

Howard survived foul trouble to connected on 12 of 16 shots from the floor and seven of nine free throws while adding seven rebounds as the Scarlet Raiders (11-0, NJAC 7-7) put the brakes on a 3-game league skid while snapping a 3-game winning streak in the conference for the Cougars (12-9, NJAC 7-7). The win gave Rutgers-Newark a regular-season sweep over Kean, leaving the teams deadlocked in a tie for fifth place in the NJAC with four games remaining. The top six teams advance to the NJAC Championship Tournament.

The game featured a dozen ties and a dozen lead changes with the Raiders working out to a 60-48 lead with 8:52 left on a layup by Howard. But the 2-time All-NJAC forward went to the bench with four fouls just seconds later to give the Cougars hope.

Freshman guard Deserai Vazquez capped a 15-3 Kean outburst with a layup and a 3-point jumper to level the affair at 65-65 with 4:07 on the clock. There were two more ties and a couple of lead changes before Howard powered inside for back-to-back baskets to give Rutgers-Newark the lead for good at 71-68 with 1:46 remaining.

A jump shot by junior forward Jazmine Davis with 1:20 left got the Cougars within a point before the Raiders closed out the scoring with an inside jumper by sophomore center Jasmine Lombard and two free throws each by guards Maria Simmons and Arianna Williams.

Lombard finished with a dozen points and a team-high nine rebounds for Rutgers-Newark while Williams tallied 13 points, five rebounds, a career-high four blocked shots, two assists and a pair of steals. Simmons had game highs of seven assists and six steals to go along with nine points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.

Freshman center Najha Treadwell posted a double-double with 24 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for the Cougars while Vazquez hit three of six shots from beyond the arc to post 11 points. Senior guard AnnaRose Pierre scored 10 for Kean while sophomore guard Jaquetta Owens led Kean with six assists and five steals. Owens added six points while junior forward Jazmine Davis chipped in seven points, six rebounds and a team-high four steals.

In a back-and-forth first half, Howard shouldered the Raiders' attack, hitting seven of 10 shots from the floor and four of five free throws to tally 15 points. There were five ties and five lead changes with the Cougars taking a 27-20 lead on a 3-point jumper by Vazquez with 6:58 left. Howard then scored three straight field goals in the paint before senior center Sharee Gordon dropped in a pair of free throws to cap an 8-0 run which gave Rutgers-Newark a 30-29 edge with 3:36 on the clock. Another Vazquez trey and a follow shot by Treadwell gave the Cougars a 4-point lead 2:13 remaining. After sophomore guard Shala Glenn made the first of two free throws with 6.4 seconds left in the period, Howard snared the rebound and followed her own missed layup with a bucket to trim the Raiders' halftime deficit to 34-33.

The Raiders shot 51.9% (28-54) from the floor and made 18 of 22 free throws (81.8%) to offset 28 turnovers which led to 26 Cougar points. Kean shot just 35.5% (27-76) from the field and 61.9% (13-21) from the line to spell the difference.

Rutgers-Newark visits William Paterson for an NJAC doubleheader on Saturday. The men's game tips off at 1 p.m. with the women to follow at 3.