Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey women's basketball team suffered a 52-38 defeat at the hands of Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday evening in Packer Hall.
 
The loss knocked the Lions (11-13, 8-10 NJAC) out of playoff contention, while the Scarlet Raiders (10-15, 8-10 NJAC) earned a trip to the 2017 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament via tie-breaker.
 
TCNJ had a tough time getting shots to fall throughout the contest. They connected on just 14-of-53 attempts from the field and struggled from three-point range (1-of-19).
 
It was a choppy opening period as the Lions turned the ball over 14 times. Rutgers-Newark capitalized with 15 points off turnovers and built a 14-point lead late in the second quarter. With nine seconds remaining in the second quarter, junior Cindy Napolitano (Wall, NJ/St. Rose) knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 31-21, but Faith Ashby got the roll at the buzzer to send RN into the locker room up 31-19.
 
Rutgers-Newark maintained its lead through the third quarter. A pair of free throws by Maria Simmons stretched the lead to 16 points, but a basket underneath by Chiara Palombi (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) put the Lions within striking distance entering the final period.
 
The Scarlet Raiders, however, defense would not relent as they held TCNJ to a season-low 38 points. Simmons led the RN with a double-double, scoring 20 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Ashby netted 14 points.
 
For TCNJ, Palombi paced the offense with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting and a team-high eight boards. Junior Nikki Schott (Washington Twp., NJ/Warren Hills) added eight points and five rebounds. Senior Kim Dana (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.) was 2-of-2 from the line and secured three rebounds and two steals. Fellow senior Katy Amato (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) finished with five rebounds in her final game.

 
The game marked the final contest in the exceptional coaching career of Dawn Henderson. After brief head coaching stints at Worcester State College and Drew University, Henderson arrived at then-Trenton State College in 1993. She went on to commandeer the Lions for 24 seasons, winning 436 games, advancing to nine NCAA championship tournaments, capturing four New Jersey Athletic Conference championships, and in 2009, experienced the crowning moment of her career by advancing to the NCAA Final Four. In total, she finished her career with a record of 482-254 (.655) and ranks 21^st in wins amongst active Division III women's basketball coaches.