NEWARK, NJ – The Rowan University women's basketball team defeated host Rutgers-Newark, 80-63 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Saturday night.

The Profs pick up their third consecutive win to improve to 9-5 overall and 7-2 in the conference. The Scarlet Raiders drop to 6-10 with a 1-8 NJAC mark.

Center April Szymczyk (sr. Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) led Rowan with a game-high 21 points and six rebounds. Guard Summer Crilley (sr. Galloway, NJ/Holy Spirit) produced a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards. Guards Dominique Peters (so. Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) and Olivia Rulon (jr. Cape May Court House, NJ/Wildwood Catholic) scored 14 and 11 points respectively. Rulon also had four steals. Guard/forward Alex Raring (sr. Linwood, NJ/Mainland Reg.) contributed with 10 points.

Rutgers-Newark forward Nicole Skelly (sr. Belleville, NJ/Immaculate Conception) and guard Faith Ashby (jr. Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) tallied 19 and 18 points respectively. Guard Ania Harrell (fr. Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) amassed 15 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Hannah Ashby (so. Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) chipped in with six points while guard/forward Autumn Webster (so. Paterson, NJ/Immaculate Conception) grabbed six boards.

The Profs had an early 5-2 lead before the Scarlet Raiders scored seven straight points to go ahead 9-5 (4:39). Rowan followed with an 11-0 run to take a 16-9 advantage with 2:14 left in the opening quarter. Four different players recorded points in the stretch. The Profs took a 20-15 lead into the second. Skelly made a layup (9:32) and Hannah Ashby sank a three (8:46) to tie the score at 20. Rulon drilled a triple to spark a 7-0 Rowan rally, making the score 27-20 (7:13). Peters had a layup to make it a nine-point game (35-26) at 4:02. Rutgers-Newark ended the period with five straight points and trailed by five (37-32) at the break.

In the third, Szymczyk had a pair of foul shots (6:25) to put the Profs up 45-35. The Scarlet Raiders cut the deficit to five (45-40) with 5:31 left on a layup and three free throws. Rulon's three (2:41) increased the lead to 12 (56-44). The score was 59-48 at the end of three. Rulon made her third three-pointer of the night and Rowan had a 13-point (66-53) cushion with 7:12 on the clock. Faith Ashby hit a shot from the foul line to close the gap to 11 (71-60) with 3:48 to play. The Profs followed with a 9-2 surge for their largest lead at 18 (80-62) with 1:01 remaining. Peters had six points and Raring added three.

Rowan hosts Eastern University for a non-conference game on Monday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.