Box Score

GALLOWAY, N.J. (Feb. 17, 2018) – The Stockton University women's basketball team turned a seven-point third-quarter deficit into a 10-point lead by the end of the frame and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 55-43, in a first-round New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.
 
With the senior combination of center Sasha Williams (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) and forward Najha Treadwell (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) leading the way, Stockton outscored Rutgers-Camden, 20-8, in the third quarter, including 20-3 after the Raptors had scored the first five points in the second half to take a 28-21 lead. Williams notched 10 of her game-high 25 points in the quarter, while Treadwell added eight of her 22 points in the frame, which saw the Ospreys establish a 41-31 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
The 18-8 Ospreys, seeded third in the six-team NJAC playoffs, advance to the semifinals Tuesday night at second-seeded The College of New Jersey.
 
Rutgers-Camden, the sixth seed in the playoffs, fell to 14-11 with its first loss to Stockton in three contests this year. The Scarlet Raptors beat the Ospreys twice during the regular season, but Saturday's loss lifted Stockton's lead in the all-time series to 60-21. It also marked the second time in the last three seasons that Stockton bounced Rutgers-Camden from the NJAC playoffs, following a 61-54 decision in Galloway on Feb. 20, 2016.
 
Rutgers-Camden will await word next Monday to see if it is selected to the ECAC Division III playoffs. If so, the Scarlet Raptors would play a first-round game on Feb. 28.
 
Trailing, 28-21, Stockton scored 10 of the next 13 points to tie the game at 31-31. Treadwell put the Ospreys ahead to stay, 33-31, with a rebound and layup with 2:24 remaining in the third quarter. Her field goal was part of a 14-point Stockton run to close out the frame.
 
The opening half featured four lead changes and three ties before Rutgers-Camden emerged with a 23-21 edge. Senior forward/center Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) had six points and four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes to lead the Scarlet Raptors. Williams (11 points) and Treadwell (8) accounted for 19 of the Ospreys' 21 first-half points.
 
In addition to their 47 combined points, Treadwell and Williams also helped the Ospreys hold a 58-34 advantage off the boards, with both players collecting double-doubles. Treadwell notched 18 rebounds, while Williams added 17.
 
Sophomore guard Lajerah Wright (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) collected team-high totals of 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots, while adding two assists. The blocks set a new career high, passing her previous mark of two, set against Rutgers-Newark on Jan. 27. The rebounds tied her career high, also set in the Rutgers-Newark game.
 
Both senior guard/forward Cara Racobaldo (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) and freshman guard Jordan Harbaugh (Mantua, NJ/Clearview Regional) collected nine points for the Scarlet Raptors, while senior forward/center Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) added eight. Racobaldo and Obasi notched six rebounds apiece, while Harbaugh grabbed five.
 
Racobaldo, pictured above, added game-high totals of four assists and five steals while playing in her 100th career game. She becomes the fourth Rutgers-Camden player in program history to reach that total and the second this season. Obasi accomplished the feat on Feb. 10 and played in her 102nd game on Saturday, tying Carmen Zimmitt (2002-06) for second on the program's career list. She is two shy of the record held by Tamara Carey (1991-95).
 
Obasi and Racobaldo both added another milestone, while approaching several more. Obasi's three field goals hiked her career total to 501, making her the sixth player in program history to pass the 500 plateau. Obasi has 1,183 career points, eighth on the all-time list and only 12 shy of tying seventh-place Brittany Turner (1994-99). With her six boards, Obasi moved to within seven of becoming the sixth Rutgers-Camden player ever to reach 800 career rebounds.
 
Racobaldo, meanwhile, hiked her career scoring total over 900 to 907, while also moving to within one assist of reaching 500 for her career. She already is the program's all-time assist leader and her four assists Saturday moved her alone into third place with 147 single-season assists. She broke a tie with her own mark of 143, set during the 2015-16 campaign. The second-highest single-season mark in program history is 157, accomplished by Cheryl Kulesa during her All-America season in 2002-03.