2007-08 Women's Basketball News

Klimowicz, TCNJ top Rutgers-Camden
to capture NJAC South Division title

CAMDEN (Feb. 23, 2008) – The College of New Jersey junior center Hillary Klimowicz (Scott Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) notched a double-double with game highs of 24 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Lions defeated Rutgers University-Camden, 84-46, in the final regular-season women’s basketball game for both teams here Saturday, helping TCNJ clinch the playoff’s top seed from the New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division.

The Lions, who entered the day tied for the NJAC South Division lead with Kean University, received help when the Cougars lost at Rowan University, 78-75. TCNJ will enter the NJAC playoffs as the South Division’s top seed, earning a first-round bye and gaining a semifinal home game on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.

The Lions improve to 20-5 overall and 11-2 in the NJAC with their seventh straight win. TCNJ has won nine straight games in the rivalry against Rutgers-Camden to take a 41-7 lead in the series.

Rutgers-Camden closed its season at 8-17 overall and 2-11 in the NJAC. The Senior Day contest was the final Rutgers-Camden game in the careers of Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional), Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton), Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) and Jennifer Smith (Sicklerville, NJ/Williamstown).

The Lions never trailed in the game, scoring the first four points and bolting to a 41-9 halftime lead. Klimowicz had 10 points and three blocked shots by halftime, including the Lions’ first eight points of the contest. Sophomore center Alexandra Gregorek (Mahwah, NJ/Academy of Holy Angels) added nine points and freshman forward Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) had eight in the first 20 minutes. For the Raptors, Parker had three of the team’s nine first-half points, as Rutgers-Camden shot only 6.5 percent (2-for-31) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

TCNJ went 14-for-30 (46.7 percent) from the floor in the opening half.

Gregorek joined Klimowicz in the double-double column, scoring 13 points and tying her teammate with a game-high 10 rebounds. Kutch and junior guard Alyssa Michella (Washington Township, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) each added 15 points, while junior guard Lisa Koch (Oak Ridge, NJ/Jefferson Township) notched 11.

The 10 rebounds helped Klimowicz climb over 700 for her TCNJ career. She now owns 705 rebounds and 1,030 points with the Lions heading into the playoffs.

Rutgers-Camden received 11 points apiece from Oyola and freshman center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling). Blackwell also had a team-high eight rebounds, while Oyola, Jankowski and Hafiz each added seven.

Hafiz finished with a game-high four steals to finish her brilliant Rutgers-Camden career with 89 steals this season and a school-record 366 for her four years as a Lady Raptor. She also finished with 959 career points, 11th on the program’s all-time list, in addition to 342 rebounds and 188 assists (seventh).

Jankowski, meanwhile, closed her career with 696 points, 645 rebounds (seventh on the all-time list), 274 assists (fifth) and 186 steals (fifth).

The game was the 94th career contest at Rutgers-Camden for Hafiz and the 92nd for Jankowski, placing them ninth and 10th, respectively, on the all-time program charts.

Oyola, meanwhile, finished with 1,158 combined points in her two years apiece at Rutgers-Camden and Cumberland County College.

First-year Head Coach Kate Bowes saw her team produce several highlights during the season, including a huge NJAC win Feb. 16 at Rowan University. After trailing by 17 points three times in the first half, Rutgers-Camden roared back to post a 68-65 win behind the phenomenal double-double of Blackwell, who had career highs of 30 points and 19 rebounds. She also shot 12-for-12 from the foul line to set a program mark for the most free throws in one game with a perfect shooting percentage. That performance earned Blackwell honors as the NJAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 18, the third time she won the conference’s weekly rookie award season. She also won the honor on Dec. 10 and Jan. 21.

Blackwell’s banner season, which included six double-doubles, also featured an all-tourney team berth at the Hoops for Hounds Tournament Jan. 4-5.

Another Lady Raptor to earn all-tourney recognition was Oyola, who was named to the season-opening team at the UMass-Boston Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 16-17. A couple of weeks later, Oyola climbed over the 1,000-point milestone for her combined careers at Cumberland County College and Rutgers-Camden.

Hafiz and Blackwell each finished the season with a scoring average of 11.4 points, with Hafiz edging Blackwell for the team scoring honors by two points. Carried to the hundredths, Hafiz had a scoring average of 11.44, while Blackwell averaged 11.36.

Blackwell led the team with 212 rebounds for an 8.5 average, while Jankowski finished second at 6.3. Hafiz led with 89 steals, while Jankowski was the leader in assists with 59.

Smith finished the season with 11 blocks, to lead the team in that category.

Rutgers-Camden’s Blackwell, Canty
sweep NJAC Rookie of the Week honors

CAMDEN (Feb. 18, 2008) – Freshmen Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) and Brandon Canty (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) turned in outstanding performances for their Rutgers University-Camden basketball programs last week, and their efforts were recognized Monday by the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

Blackwell was named the NJAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week Monday, while Canty made it a Scarlet Raptor sweep by earning honors as the NJAC Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week. The freshmen were recognized for their performances in a pair of games against Richard Stockton College (Feb. 13) and Rowan University (Feb. 16).

It was the third NJAC Rookie of the Week honor this season for Blackwell, who also won the award on Dec. 10 and Jan. 21.

Canty, a 6-foot-2 guard, collected a game-high 26 points to set his career high as Rutgers-Camden stunned visiting Richard Stockton, 87-74, to snap a 46-game, 24-year losing streak against the Ospreys. Rutgers-Camden hadn’t defeated Stockton since Jan. 25, 1984.

Canty went 8-for-12 from the floor against Stockton, including 4-for-7 from three-point range. He also shot 6-for-8 from the foul line, had one blocked shot and collected three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Later in the week, Canty added a team-high 13 points and three assists at Rowan, while tying for game-high honors with two blocked shots and two steals.

Over his two games, Canty averaged 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. He shot 54.2 percent (13-for-24) from the floor, including a blistering 63.6 percent (7-for-11) from three-point range.

Blackwell started her week with seven points, three rebounds and a steal in a 60-58 loss to Richard Stockton, but followed that game with one of the top all-around performances in program history. In a 68-65 victory at Rowan University, she led the Lady Raptors back from a 17-point first-half deficit with a double-double of career highs, scoring 30 points and grabbing 19 rebounds.

Blackwell’s performance marked her sixth double-double of the season and shattered her previous career highs of 21 points, against both Valley Forge Christian (Jan. 17) and Drew University (Nov. 20), and 17 rebounds in the game against Drew.

Blackwell’s three-point play with 44 seconds remaining – a layup and a foul shot – gave the Raptors the lead for good at 66-65.

Not only did Blackwell shoot 9-for-15 from the floor in the game, but she also went 12-for-12 from the foul line, setting a program single-game record for the best perfect shooting from the foul line. She broke the mark of 10-for-10, accomplished three times.

In her two games last week, Blackwell averaged a double-double of 18.5 points and 11.0 rebounds. She shot 55 percent (11-for-20) from the floor and 93.8 (15-for-16) from the foul line.

For the season, Blackwell is averaging 11.4 points (second on the team) and leads Rutgers-Camden in rebounding with an 8.5 average. She has started all 24 of the Lady Raptors’ games and has added 22 assists and 27 steals.

Canty has appeared in 22 of the Scarlet Raptors’ 24 games, averaging 5.9 points and 2.6 rebounds. He is third on the team in both assists (37) and steals (24).

The Rutgers-Camden basketball teams close their season Saturday with a home doubleheader against The College of New Jersey. The women play at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 3 p.m.

Blackwell powers huge comeback
as Rutgers-Camden stuns Rowan

GLASSBORO (Feb. 16, 2008) – Freshman center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) collected a double-double of career highs with 30 points and 19 rebounds to help the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team roar back from a 17-point first-half deficit and stun Rowan University, 68-65, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Raptors improve to 8-16, snapping a five-game losing streak. They also improve to 2-10 in the NJAC, snapping a 10-game conference losing streak that started after they won their NJAC opener in December.

Blackwell’s huge performance marked her sixth double-double of the season and helped her pass her previous career highs of 21 points and 17 rebounds. She had notched 21 points against both Valley Forge Christian (Jan. 17) and Drew University (Nov. 20). She also had her previous high of 17 rebounds against Drew.

Fittingly for the Lady Raptors, Blackwell provided the winning basket. With Rowan leading, 65-63, Blackwell tied the game on a layup after a perfect feed from senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling). Blackwell was fouled on the play and hit a foul shot with 44 seconds remaining as the Raptors took a 66-65 lead.

Blackwell went 12-for-12 from the foul line, setting a program single-game record for the best perfect shooting from the foul line. She broke the mark of 10-for-10, accomplished three times.

Nineteen seconds later, Blackwell grabbed a defensive rebound after the Profs missed the front end of a one-and-one. Jankowski was fouled and sank both foul shots with 17 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Rowan’s last-gasp effort for a game-tying three-pointer was off the mark and rebounded by Raptor senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) to clinch the amazing comeback.

Rowan, which falls to 14-9 overall and 6-5 in the NJAC, appeared to take control of the game midway through the first half. With the Raptors leading, 14-13, the Profs ran off a string of 18 consecutive points, including six points by senior guard Kristina Wallace (Logan Township, NJ/Clearview Regional). That run gave Rowan a 31-14 lead, and the Profs also held 17-point leads at 33-16 and 34-17 before the Raptors whittled their halftime deficit to 34-25.

Rutgers-Camden’s eight-point run at the end of the first half was on the shoulders of Parker, who notched all eight points, including a pair of treys.

Parker started the second half with another three-pointer as the Raptors went on a 13-6 run to cut their deficit to 40-38. After Rowan regained a seven-point lead (45-38), Rutgers-Camden mounted another comeback and finally took the lead, 47-46, on a three-pointer by freshman guard Jasmine White (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) with 10:55 remaining.

The teams traded leads five more times to give Rowan a 65-63 lead with a minute remaining following an offensive rebound and putback by senior guard Nicole Perrini (Parsippany, NJ/Parsippany Hills). That set the stage for the final lead change of the night on the three-point play by Blackwell, making her the first Lady Raptor to score 30 points since Megan Rulon notched 39 against Valley Forge Christian College on Nov. 28, 2005.


Members of the Rutgers-Camden and Rowan women's basketball teams gather together before the "Think Pink" Day game at Rowan University on Feb. 16. (Photo courtesy of Rowan University)

In addition to Blackwell’s huge game, Parker notched 16 points – three shy of her career high – and tied her career high of five assists, tying Jankowski for the team high.

Jankowski also added eight rebounds. Blackwell and senior forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) tied for the team high with three steals apiece. Oyola added a career-high two blocked shots.

Rowan received 16 points from junior forward Ashley Cieplicki (Haworth, NJ/Dumont), 15 from Wallace and 12 from freshman guard Gina Catanzariti (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson). Cieplicki added 10 rebounds.

The Profs return to action with a 6 p.m. NJAC game at The College of New Jersey Wednesday. The Lady Raptors are idle until their season finale on Saturday, Feb. 23, when they host The College of New Jersey at 1 p.m. Five Raptor seniors will be honored on Senior Day: Jankowski, Oyola, Parker, Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) and Jennifer Smith (Sicklerville, NJ/Williamstown).

Stockton edges Rutgers-Camden
in “Think Pink” fundraiser game

CAMDEN (Feb. 13, 2008) – Richard Stockton College senior guard Lisa Neira (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) hit a pair of foul shots with 12.8 seconds remaining to lift the Ospreys over Rutgers University-Camden, 60-58, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women’s basketball game on “Think Pink” night Wednesday in Camden. The game was part of the national Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s “Think Pink” initiative to promote breast cancer awareness and raise funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

With the score knotted at 58-58 for the sixth tie in the second half and 10th of the game, Stockton junior forward Jenn Russell (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) had a steal and the Ospreys called timeout with 25.4 seconds remaining. Neira was fouled attempting a shot and hit a pair of free throws with 12.8 seconds left, breaking the deadlock and lifting the Ospreys to 12-11 overall and 5-6 in the NJAC.
Rutgers-Camden couldn’t convert on a field goal attempt near the buzzer as the Raptors fell to 7-16 overall and 1-10 in the NJAC.

The Ospreys have won 11 straight games against Rutgers-Camden and hold a 41-18 lead in the all-time series.

The first half featured four ties and five lead changes before the Ospreys took the lead on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Ashley Hart (Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ/Peddie School) to make it a 25-22 game. Stockton built a five-point halftime lead, 32-27, but the second half saw eight more lead changes.

A pair of foul shots by senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) gave the Raptors their last lead of the night, 56-55, and freshman center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) tacked on a layup to make it 58-55. The Ospreys tied the game at 58-58 on a layup and foul shot by Russell with 48.6 seconds remaining, setting the stage for the final hectic moments.

Junior forward Cehara Wllington (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) scored a game-high 13 points and Neira added 11 for the Ospreys.

Hafiz and freshman guard Sarah Gorbe (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) notched 11 points apiece for the Raptors, with Gorbe setting a career high. Her previous high of nine was accomplished twice, against Fredonia State (Jan. 4) and Pine Manor (Nov. 17, 2007).
Hafiz raised her career total to 954 points, passing Monica Cummings (945 points from 1981-83) to move into 11th place on the career scoring list.

Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), playing in her 90th career game to become only the 10th Lady Raptor to reach that total, grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, giving her 630 for her career. That moved her past Michelle Riley (629 boards from 1996-2000) for seventh place on the career list. Jankowski also collected two steals to snap a tie at 181 career steals with Carmen Zimmitt (2002-06) and move into fifth place on the all-time program list.

Hafiz, Gorbe and senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) each added six boards for the Raptors.
Junior forward Kelley Guarrera (Shamong, NJ/Shawnee) had a game-high seven rebounds and added eight points. She also tied Neira with a game-high five assists.

Stockton shot 39-3 percent (22-for-56) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden shot 36.7 (22-for-60). The Lady Raptors held a 40-38 edge off the boards.

Both teams return to action with NJAC games on Saturday. Stockton hosts The College of New Jersey at 2 p.m. and Rutgers-Camden plays a 3 p.m. contest at Rowan University.

Fitzgerald, Espinoza power NJCU
past Rutgers-Camden women

CAMDEN (Feb. 9, 2008) – Freshman guard Angela Fitzgerald (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) scored 17 points and senior forward Vanessa Vargas Espinoza (Union City, NJ/Emerson-Union City) added 15 to power the New Jersey City University women’s basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 58-55, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

The Gothic Knights improve to 8-14 overall and 3-7 in the NJAC North Division with their fourth win in the last five games. The Scarlet Raptors, who fall to 7-15 and 1-9 in the NJAC South Division, have lost four straight games.

NJCU has won the last two games in the series, although Rutgers-Camden holds a 28-18 all-time lead.

In a first half that featured five ties and one lead change, the Gothic Knights took the lead for good at 16-13 on a three-pointer by Fitzgerald. NJCU opened up a 16-point lead (38-22) late in the half before settling for a 38-24 halftime lead. Espinoza notched 12 points and Fitzgerald added 10 in the first 20 minutes. For Rutgers-Camden, freshman center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) had nine first-half points.

The Gothic Knights led by as many as 15 points in the second half (41-26) and held a 48-36 advantage with 13:45 remaining before the Raptors made went on an 18-8 run. They sliced the gap to two points, 56-54, with 4:26 remaining on a jumper by freshman guard Sarah Gorbe (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) and also trailed by a pair of points, 57-55, with 2:17 left on a foul shot by senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken).

With 7.6 seconds remaining, Espinoza hit the back end of a pair of foul shots to make it 58-55. Rutgers-Camden rushed the ball up court and lost the handle without a shot as time expired.

With her 15 points, Espinoza raised her career total to 962 as she attempts to reach 1,000 points in her last three collegiate games.
The Scarlet Raptors received 17 points from Blackwell, who also added six rebounds and three assists.

Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) had a game-high nine steals for Rutgers-Camden, raising her school record to 358. She also scored five points to move to within two points of tying Monica Cummings (1981-83) at 945 for 11th place on the program’s all-time list. In addition, her seven rebounds gave her 505 for her career, making her the ninth player in program history to pass 500.

Another senior guard,  Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) notched eight rebounds to tie for game-high honors with the Gothic Knights’ Fitzgerald, Espinoza and junior forward Alaia Robinson (Irvington, NJ/Irvington). Jankowski also scored six points, notched four assists and added one steal, tying Carmen Zimmitt (2002-06) for fifth place on the all-time program list with 181 steals.

NJCU shot 48.1 percent (25-for-52) from the floor for the game and held a 37-33 edge in rebounds. The Lady Raptors shot 35.7 percent from the floor (20-for-56).

Rutgers-Camden returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Richard Stockton College in a 6 p.m. NJAC game on “Think Pink” night. The contest will be a fundraiser for Susan G. Koman for the Cure and breast cancer awareness.

New Jersey City also will play another NJAC game on Wednesday night, traveling to Rutgers-Newark for a 5:30 p.m. start.

National powerhouse Kean
tops Rutgers-Camden women

UNION (Feb. 6, 2008) – Nationally-ranked Kean University went on a 13-point run midway through the first half on its way to an 88-44 victory over Rutgers University-Camden here Wednesday night in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women’s basketball game.

The Cougars, ranked No. 6 in both the d3hoops.com and the USA Today ESPN Division III Top 25 national polls, rolled to a 45-20 halftime lead on the way to their 15th consecutive win. Kean improves to 20-1 overall and 8-1 in the NJAC. Rutgers-Camden falls to 7-14 and 1-8 with its third straight loss.

The victory was the sixth straight for Kean against Rutgers-Camden and second this season, extending the Cougars’ lead to 32-17 in the all-time series.

Rutgers-Camden held a pair of early leads at 4-2 and 6-5 before Kean went on a six-point run to take the lead for good at 11-6. Moments later, leading 11-8, the Cougars scored 13 straight points to put the game out of reach. The Lady Raptors never came closer than 12 points (25-13) the rest of the night.

Kean placed five players in double figures, led by 17 points from sophomore guard Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, PA/Pocono Mountain West). Jackman went 8-for-14 from the floor for the Cougars, who shot 37-for-75 (49.3 percent) as a team.

Junior guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) and freshman forward Tiffany Patrick (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) each added 12 points, while freshman forward/center Angelica Bermudez (Belleville, NJ/St. Anthony) notched 11. Senior center Chari’ Cooper (Paulsboro, NJ/Paulsboro) added a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in only 25 minutes of playing time. She helped Kean hold a 39-34 advantage off the boards.

Beyruti added four steals and a game-high six assists, while Patrick had a game-high five steals.

Kean forced Rutgers-Camden into 42 turnovers.

The Lady Raptors, who shot 31.1 percent from the floor (14-for-45), received 12 points from senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional). Hafiz raised her career total to 938 points, giving her four games to score 62 points for her to become the 11th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.

Hafiz also tied with freshman center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) with a team-high seven rebounds.

Freshman guard Jasmine White (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) added seven points for the Lady Raptors, while senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) had six points and a team-high four steals.

Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) paced the Raptors with four assists.

Rutgers-Camden returns to action Saturday with a 1 p.m. NJAC home game against New Jersey City University.

Hafiz sets Rutgers-Camden record,
but Lady Raptors fall to Montclair State

CAMDEN (Feb. 2, 2008) – Senior guard Jessica Garrabrant (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) notched a double-double with game-high totals of 12 points and 13 rebounds to power the Montclair State University women’s basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 69-46, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

The Red Hawks, who improve to 12-7 overall and 5-3 in the NJAC, have won four of their last five games. Rutgers-Camden, 7-13 overall and 1-7 in the NJAC, has lost two straight.

Montclair State raced to a 20-point halftime lead and was never threatened, winning despite a milestone by Rutgers-Camden senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional). Hafiz collected a game-high four steals to break the all-time school record for steals – for either the men’s or women’s program – as she passed the club mark of 345 set by Tamara Carey from 1991-95. The only player in program history to record a pair of 100-steal seasons, Hafiz has 70 steals during her senior campaign and 347 for her career.

The Red Hawks grabbed a 37-17 halftime lead as sophomore forward Catherine Cristino (Farmingdale, NJ/Colts Neck) and Garrabrant each collected eight points in the half. Garrabrant added nine rebounds, while Cristino had three blocked shots in the opening 20 minutes.
Cristino finished with 11 points and four blocks for Montclair State, which holds a 28-15 lead in the all-time series.

Junior guard Marianne McGovern (Fair Lawn, NJ/Paramus Catholic) collected 10 points for the Red Hawks, who shot 29-for-56 (51.8 percent) from the floor and held a 41-29 advantage off the boards.

Rutgers-Camden received 10 points from Hafiz, while senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) added nine.
Senior forward Jennifer Smith (Sicklerville, NJ/Williamstown), senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) and sophomore center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) each had five rebounds to tie for the Lady Raptor team high.

Rutgers-Camden shot 3-7 percent (18-for-55) from the floor in the game, including 26.1 percent (6-for-23) in the opening half.

The Lady Raptors return to action Wednesday with a 6 p.m. NJAC game at Kean University, the nation’s seventh-ranked team. Montclair State plays a 5:30 p.m. NJAC game Wednesday at Rutgers-Newark.

Rutgers-Camden women’s basketball
joins “Think Pink” fundraising effort

CAMDEN (Feb. 1, 2008) – The Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team will join the legions of NCAA programs across the country to team up for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s “Think Pink” initiative, a national effort to raise breast cancer awareness.

Rutgers-Camden will host “Think Pink” on February 13, when the Lady Raptors entertain Richard Stockton College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game at 6 p.m. The evening will feature both teams in pink apparel. All fans also are encouraged to wear pink. The school will be giving out pink shirts and ribbons and honoring cancer survivors.

The event also will help raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Individuals may make a flat donation or pledge an amount for each point scored by the Lady Raptors that night. Pledge forms can be downloaded from the Rutgers-Camden web site at http://thinkpink.camden.rutgers.edu/  Money pledged per point will be collected after the game, while flat donations can be collected at any time.

All checks should be made payable to the “Susan G. Komen Foundation.”

The Rutgers-Camden Office of Campus Involvement will be donating food and refreshments for the event. Various prizes will be awarded, including prizes for the Top Female Fundraiser, the Top Male Fundraiser and the Top Faculty/Staff Fundraiser.

The WBCA’s “Think Pink” started in 2007 with over 120 schools participating in the inaugural event. This second annual event will be held between Feb. 8-17 at schools across the country. The NCAA has joined the effort with its “Calling for the Cure” campaign, where all NCAA women’s basketball officials will be blowing a pink whistle between Feb. 8-17. Officials also are encouraged to make a donation to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

For more information, see the WBCA’s web site at http://www.wbca.org/thinkpink.asp

TCNJ’s big first half leads
to win over Rutgers-Camden

EWING (Jan. 30, 2008) – The College of New Jersey women’s basketball team held Rutgers University-Camden to only nine first-half points as the Lions raced past the Scarlet Raptors, 67-29, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.

The victory lifts the Lions to 14-5 overall and 5-2 in the NJAC. TCNJ has won eight of its last 10 games overall and has captured its last eight games against Rutgers-Camden to take a 40-7 lead in the all-time series.

The Raptors fall to 7-12 overall and 1-6 in the NJAC after scoring their fewest points since a 58-28 home loss to Richard Stockton College Feb. 8, 2006.

The Lions scored the first eight points of the game and were never threatened, bolting to a commanding 32-9 halftime lead. TCNJ held Rutgers-Camden to 10 percent shooting from the floor (2-for-20) in the opening half and 22.2 percent for the game (10-for-45).

Junior center Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) collected her 15th double-double of the season as she scored game-high totals of 16 points and 10 rebounds in only 21 minutes of playing time. She also had a game-high four blocked shots.

Freshman forward Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) added 15 points, while senior guard/forward Sara Best (High Bridge, NJ/Voorhees) added 14 points, five assists, three blocked shots and five steals for TCNJ. Sophomore center Alexandra Gregorek (Mahwah, NJ/Academy of the Holy Angels) added 10 points for the Lions. Gregorek and Kutch each pulled down seven rebounds as the Lions held a commanding 42-31 advantage off the boards.

For the game, TCNJ shot 46.9 percent from the floor (30-for-64) and forced Rutgers-Camden into 29 turnovers.

The Lady Raptors were paced by senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken), who had nine points. Junior guard Shamira McNair (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) added her Rutgers-Camden career high of seven points.

Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) added one steal toward her bid to shatter the program’s career record. Hafiz raised her total to 343 career steals, two shy of the overall school record of 345, set by Tamara Carey (1991-95).

Another Raptor senior guard, Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), had a team-high six rebounds to pass the 600-rebound plateau for her career. She now has 603 rebounds.

The Lady Raptors return to action Saturday when they host Montclair State University in a 1 p.m. NJAC game. TCNJ travels to NJCU Saturday for a 5 p.m. conference game.

Hafiz, Blackwell power
Rutgers-Camden over Arcadia

GLENSIDE, Penn. (Jan. 28, 2008) – Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) scored 16 points and freshman center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) collected her fifth double-double of the season to power the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team over Arcadia University, 56-50, in a non-conference game here Monday night.

The Scarlet Raptors improve to 7-11, snapping a two-game losing streak. The Scarlet Knights fall to 4-12.

With her 16 points, Hafiz climbed over the 900-point plateau for her career, hiking her total to 912 points. With seven games remaining, she is 88 points shy of becoming the 11th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point club.

While Hafiz passed one plateau, she was held without a steal for the first time since her sophomore season, leaving her with 342 career steals. She is three shy of the program and overall Rutgers-Camden school mark of 345 steals, held by Tamara Carey (1991-95). The only player in program history to record a pair of 100-steal seasons, Hafiz has 65 steals during her senior campaign.

Blackwell, meanwhile, notched 14 points and added a game-high 11 rebounds for the Lady Raptors. Eight of her rebounds came off the defensive boards.

The Lady Raptors led all the way, scoring the first six points of the game en route to a 27-22 halftime lead. Arcadia twice closed the gap to one point in the second half, at 39-38 and 42-41, but Rutgers-Camden never surrendered its lead.

In addition to Hafiz and Blackwell, senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added 10 rebounds and four assists for the Raptors.

Arcadia received a game-high 20 points from sophomore guard Kim Milligan (Crofton, MD/South River).

Rutgers-Camden shot 42.0 percent (21-for-50) from the floor and held a 45-27 advantage in rebounds, while Arcadia shot 34.5 percent (20-for-58).

The Lady Raptors return to action Wednesday with a 6 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference game at The College of New Jersey.

Sanchez powers Rutgers-Newark
over Rutgers-Camden women

NEWARK (Jan. 26, 2008) – Senior guard Sabrina Sanchez (Keasbey, NJ/Woodbridge) scored a game-high 27 points to tie her career high to lead the Rutgers-Newark women’s basketball team over Rutgers-Camden, 70-58, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday night.

Sanchez also tied for the game high with four steals as she helped the Scarlet Raiders improve to 15-3 overall and 4-2 in the NJAC with their fifth consecutive victory.

Rutgers-Camden falls to 6-11 and 1-5.

Sanchez, who tied her career scoring high set against Montclair State University Jan. 24, 2007, went 12-for-16 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, on the way to her big night. Her jumper late in the first half gave the Scarlet Raiders the lead for good at 23-21.

Senior guard Nerlande Nicolas (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) added 10 points for Rutgers-Newark, which built a 27-23 halftime lead. The Scarlet Raptors never came closer than three points the rest of the way.

Rutgers-Camden received 14 points from senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional), who added five assists to tie teammate Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) for game-high honors. Hafiz also tied for the game-high lead with four steals, giving her 342 for her illustrious career. She needs three more steals to tie the program – and overall school – record of 345 set by Tamara Carey (1991-95).

Hafiz shot 5-for-9 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from three-point range. The 14 points raised her career total to 896.

In addition to Hafiz, the Lady Raptors received 11 points from freshman guard Jasmine White (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech).  White went 4-for-9 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, to come within two points of her career scoring high.

Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) notched 10 points for the Raptors, while freshman center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added eight points and a game-high seven rebounds.

Rutgers-Camden held a 30-25 advantage off the boards, but made 23 turnovers to the Scarlet Raiders’ 12.

The Scarlet Raiders shot 51.7 percent from the floor (31-for-60), while the Scarlet Raptors shot 48.9 percent (23-for-47).

The Lady Raptors return to action Monday with a 6 p.m. non-conference game at Arcadia University.

NJAC honors three
Rutgers-Camden athletes

CAMDEN (Jan. 21, 2008) – Three Rutgers University-Camden student-athletes were honored today by the New Jersey Athletic Conference for their performances in their respective sports during the week of Jan. 14-20.

Two members of the Rutgers-Camden indoor track team earned honors after fine showings at the Collegeville Classic at Ursinus College Friday. Sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) was named the NJAC Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, while freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) captured honors as the NJAC Women’s Indoor Track Rookie of the Week.

In women’s basketball, freshman forward/center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) also earned honors as the NJAC Rookie of the Week following an outstanding performance in four games over five days for the Lady Raptors.

The NJAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week honor was the second of the season for Blackwell, who averaged a double-double of 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in games last week against Eastern University (Jan. 15), Richard Stockton College (Jan. 16), Valley Forge Christian College (Jan. 17) and Rowan University (Jan. 19). She also earned the honor on Dec. 10.

In her game against Eastern, Blackwell notched her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. The next night against Stockton, she had a team-high 17 points, barely missed another double-double with nine rebounds and added a game-high four steals to set her career high.  In the Valley Forge game, she had a team-high nine rebounds and her game-high 21 points tied her career high. Nine of her points came during a 23-point run by the Lady Raptors, which snapped a 2-2 tie and put Rutgers-Camden ahead to stay. She ended her week with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds in a loss to Rowan as Rutgers-Camden went 2-2 in the four-game span.
For the week, Blackwell shot 21-for-47 from the floor (44.7 percent) and 24-for-31 (77.4 percent) from the foul line.

Blackwell, who also was named Rutgers-Camden’s Raptor of the Week on Monday, has had an outstanding freshman campaign for the Lady Raptors. She leads the team in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and is second in scoring (11.7 ppg).

Lloyd and Maldonado each set Rutgers-Camden program records at the Collegeville Classic. Lloyd finished 7th of 30 individuals in the 400-meter dash, breaking his own indoor program record with a 52.34 clocking. He also ran the third leg on the Scarlet Raptors’ winning 4x800 relay team, which posted an ECAC-qualifying time of 8:09.51, and he was the leadoff leg for Rutgers-Camden’s 4x400 relay team, which finished 8th of 13 teams with a 3:37.94 clocking. His performance helped the Raptors finish fourth out of 14 teams.

Maldonado set the Lady Raptor indoor program record in the 400-meter dash, posting a time of 1:04.94 to finish seventh of 24 runners. She also finished ninth out of 17 competitors with a long jump of 15-07.50.

Rowan women edge
Rutgers-Camden

CAMDEN (Jan. 19, 2008) – A pair of Rowan University guards, senior Kristina Wallace (Logan Township, NJ/Clearview Regional) and freshman Gina Catanzariti (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) scored 16 points apiece to lead five Profs in double figures on the way to an 80-76 victory over Rutgers University-Camden in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women’s basketball game here Saturday afternoon.

The Profs improve to 10-5 overall and 3-1 in the NJAC, posting their fifth win in six games. The Lady Raptors, who completed a stretch of four games in five days, fall to 6-10 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

In a tight game which featured nine ties, the Profs broke the final 70-70 deadlock with 3:56 remaining on a three-pointer by junior guard Brynn DeGroff (Wildwood Crest, NJ/Wildwood). DeGroff added another layup to make it 75-70, and the Lady Raptors didn’t get closer than 75-73 the rest of the way.

Leading, 79-76, with seconds remaining, Catanzariti collected a steal to clinch the victory and the Profs closed out the game from the foul line on a free throw by sophomore Amanda Jennings (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Township).

The two teams were tied six times during the first half, including at 26-26 when Catanzariti scored a field goal to spark an eight-point run by the Profs. That run, which featured four points apiece by Catanzariti and Kaitlin Guy (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) put the Profs ahead, 32-26.

Rowan held a 39-37 halftime lead and seemed to put the game well in hand with an eight-point run early in the second half to take a 49-41 advantage. Rutgers-Camden, however, rallied to take a 60-58 lead on a jumper by freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) with 9:11 remaining.

Rowan countered with another eight-point run before the Raptors bounced back to tie the game, 70-70, on a three-pointer by senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) with 4:58 remaining, setting the stage for the decisive five-point run by DeGroff.

In addition to Wallace and Catanzariti, junior forward Ashley Cieplicki (Haworth, NJ/Dumont) scored 12 points, while Guy notched 11 and DeGroff added 10. Wallace and DeGroff each collected a game-high seven assists, while Jennings had a team-high seven rebounds for the Profs.

Rutgers-Camden received career-high 19 points from Parker, whose previous high of 16 was accomplished three times. Parker also set a career high with her five assists, passing her old mark of four set on Thursday night against Valley Forge Christian College.

Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) collected 15 points, six rebounds and added two steals, putting her career total of steals at 338. She needs only seven more to tie the program’s all-time record of 345, set by Tamara Carey (1991-95).

Blackwell also had a fine game for the Raptors with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) scored nine points and had a game-high five steals. Freshman guard Sarah Gorbe (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) and senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) each added eight points for the Lady Raptors. Oyola also had four steals and tied her career high of four assists.

Rowan shot 50.8 percent from the floor (30-for-59), while Rutgers-Camden shot 52.7 percent (29-for-55). The Profs, however, held a 35-26 advantage off the boards.

The Profs host The College of New Jersey Wednesday in a 6 p.m. NJAC game. The Lady Raptors return to action Saturday, Jan. 26, when they travel to Rutgers-Newark for a 5:30 p.m. NJAC contest.

Big first-half run sparks
Rutgers-Camden past VFCC

CAMDEN (Jan. 17, 2008) – The Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team scored 23 straight points to break an early tie and went on to defeat Valley Forge Christian College, 81-46, in a non-conference game here Thursday night.

Rutgers-Camden, which was playing its third game in as many days, improves to 6-9 with its second victory in three games. Valley Forge falls to 4-13 with its eighth straight loss.

The game, which was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., didn’t get underway until 8:25 p.m. as Valley Forge had problems getting to Camden.
Once the game started, the teams swapped baskets, with Rutgers-Camden taking a 2-0 lead and the Patriots tying the game at 2-2. That was the only time the Patriots were tied all night, as the Lady Raptors rattled off the next 23 points, sparked by a jumper from senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional). The run was capped by freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), whose layup at 10:27 gave the Raptors a 25-2 lead and gave her nine points in the run.

Blackwell had 11 points by halftime and finished with a game-high 21 points, tying her career high set against Drew University on Nov. 20. She also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, barely missing the fifth double-double of her career.

Freshman guard Jasmine White (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) scored 13 points and added four steals to set her career highs in both categories. Her previous highs were five points (accomplished twice this season) and two steals (against York Dec. 30).

Hafiz finished with 12 points and a game-high five steals, lifting her career total to 336 steals. She needs only nine more steals to tie the program’s all-time record by Tamara Carey (1991-95).

Freshman guard Sarah Gorbe (Riverside, NJ/Riverside) added a career-high six rebounds and notched four points for Rutgers-Camden.

The Patriots were paced by sophomore forward Brooke Runk (Spring Grove, PA/Spring Grove), who had a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore forward Amanda Parr (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills) added 10 points for Valley Forge Christian.

Rutgers-Camden shot 45.6 percent (36-for-79) from the floor and held a 42-32 advantage off the boards, while Valley Forge Christian shot 39.1 percent (18-for-46). The Patriots also made 29 turnovers to the Raptors’ 12.

The Lady Raptors return to action Saturday when they host Rowan University in a 1 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference game.

The Patriots entertain Lancaster Bible College Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Stockton’s second-half run
sinks Rutgers-Camden

POMONA (Jan. 16, 2008) – The Richard Stockton College women’s basketball team scored the first 13 points of the second half, turning a two-point halftime deficit into an  11-point lead, and the Ospreys went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 64-51, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Wednesday night.

The Lady Raptors fall to 5-9 overall and 1-3 in the NJAC, while the Ospreys improve to 8-5 overall and 3-1 in the NJAC. Stockton, which now holds a 40-18 lead in the all-time series, has won its last 10 games against Rutgers-Camden.

With freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) scoring 13 points in the opening half, Rutgers-Camden held a 33-31 lead at the break. The Ospreys, however, took the lead with their run to open the second half, grabbing the advantage for good, 35-33, on a jumper by sophomore guard Kim Herriger (Howell, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) with 17:12 remaining.

Senior guard Lisa Neira (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) finished with a game-high 22 points for Richard Stockton, including 14 in the second half. Neira, who also had a game-high five assists, shot 7-for-10 from the floor and 8-for-9 from the foul line.

Sophomore forward Alyssa Reiter (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) added 13 points for the Ospreys, who shot 40.7 percent (22-for-54) from the floor. Freshman forward Kristin Sciarrillo (Edison, NJ/Edison) added a game-high 12 rebounds for Stockton, which was out-rebounded on the night, 40-36.

Stockton forced Rutgers-Camden to make 28 turnovers and shoot only 32.1 percent (17-for-53) from the floor.

Blackwell finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high four steals for the Lady Raptors, while senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added 10 points, eight rebounds and a team-high three assists.

The Lady Raptors return to action Thursday night when they host Valley Forge Christian College in a 7 p.m. non-conference game.

Blackwell’s double-double lifts
Rutgers-Camden women

ST. DAVIDS, Penn. (Jan. 15, 2008) – Freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) collected a double-double of 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds and senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) added a game-high 20 points to power the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team over Eastern University, 83-48, in a non-conference game here Tuesday night.

Rutgers-Camden improves to 5-8, snapping a five-game losing streak. Eastern falls to 1-10 with its fourth straight loss.

The Eagles led only once, at 3-2. The game was tied at 4-4 when Rutgers-Camden took the lead for good, 6-4, on a pair of foul shots by senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton).  The Lady Raptors used a nine-point run late in the first half to grab a 45-23 lead. Oyola scored four points and Blackwell added three in the run, which sparked the Raptors toward a 47-30 halftime lead.

Hafiz finished with 20 points, lifting her career total to 853. She also notched a team-high four steals to give her 328 steals in her career, only 17 shy of the program record set by Tamara Carey from 1991-95.

Blackwell’s 15 rebounds and 18 points gave her the fourth double-double of her young career. She went 10-for-12 from the foul line.

Oyola added 15 points for the Lady Raptors, while senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added eight points and eight rebounds.

Rutgers-Camden held a 61-40 advantage off the boards, while shooting 40.6 percent from the floor (26-for-64). The Lady Raptors held the Eagles to 27.5 percent shooting from the floor (19-for-69), including 3-for-20 (15.0 percent) from three-point range.

Eastern received 12 points from sophomore forward Hannah Tobin (Paxinos, PA/Shikellamy), while senior guard Mandy Kuiken (Pompton Plains, NJ/Eastern Christian) added 10.

The Lady Raptors return to action Wednesday night with a 6 p.m. New Jersey Athletic Conference game at Richard Stockton College.

William Paterson topples
Rutgers-Camden women

WAYNE (Jan. 12, 2008) – The William Paterson University women’s basketball team forced Rutgers University-Camden to make 30 turnovers and held the Lady Raptors to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor (14-for-42) as the Pioneers raced to a 64-39 victory in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon.

Paterson, which received votes to this week’s d3hoops.com Top 25 poll, improves to 10-3 overall and 2-0 in the NJAC. The Pioneers have won nine of their last 10 games.

Rutgers-Camden falls to 4-8 and 1-2 with its fifth straight loss.

The Pioneers grabbed a 30-14 first-half lead as the Raptors shot only 5-for-23 (21.7 percent) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, including 0-for-6 from three-point range. Paterson began the period with an 18-5 run. 

William Paterson out-scored Rutgers-Camden 14-4 on the break and 20-7 in bench points.  The Pioneers also shot 7-for-17 (41.2 percent) from three-point range, while Rutgers-Camden was only 1-for-7 (14.3)

Senior guard Michelle Pellichero (Milltown, NJ/Bishop Ahr) scored a game-high 16 points for the Pioneers, while tying for game-high honors with four assists.  Sophomore Julie Haledjian (Montvale, NJ/Pascack Hills) contributed nine tallies, junior Asia Johnson (Wildwood, NJ/Wildwood) had seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and sophomore Elisa Brown (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) posted seven points, nine boards and five steals.

Rutgers-Camden freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) collected 14 points, while senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) had nine rebounds and tied for game-high honors with four assists.

The Lady Raptors return to action Tuesday with a 6 p.m. non-conference game at Eastern University, starting a busy week in which they have three games in as many days and four games in five days.

Cooper hits milestone as Kean
topples Rutgers-Camden women

CAMDEN (Jan. 9, 2008) – The Kean University women’s basketball team entered Wednesday night’s New Jersey Athletic Conference game with a pair of lofty national rankings, and the Cougars lived up to that billing against Rutgers University-Camden.

Kean, ranked No. 12 in the USA Today ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the d3hoops.com national poll, saw senior center Chari’ Cooper (Paulsboro, NJ/Paulsboro) score a game-high 18 points to pass the 1,000-point plateau for her career as it raced past Rutgers-Camden, 93-45.

The Cougars improved to 12-1 overall with their seventh straight win as they evened their NJAC record at 1-1. Rutgers-Camden fell to 4-7 overall and 1-1 in the NJAC with its fourth straight loss.

Cooper, who entered the game with 995 career points, scored her 1,000th and 1,001st point on a layup with 6:09 remaining in the first half as the Cougars rolled to a 50-21 halftime lead. She was the 15th Lady Cougar to score 1,000 points and only the third to get over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She finished her night with 1,013 points and also increased her program career record to 1,268 rebounds as she had 16 boards to notch a double-double.

Cooper was one of four Cougars to hit double figures in scoring. Junior guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, NJ/Malcolm X Shabazz) collected 16 points and a game-high six assists, while sophomore guard Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, PA/Pocono Mountain West) scored 13 and junior guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) added 11. Beyruti’s points increased her career total, to 1,089.

Rutgers-Camden received 15 points from senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional), while senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) added eight.

The Raptors’ rebounding was led by freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), who had 10 boards. Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added eight.

Kean forced Rutgers-Camden into 41 turnovers and held the Lady Raptors to 25.5 percent shooting from the floor (14-for-55). The Cougars shot 54.1 percent (40-for-74) and also held a 46-42 advantage off the boards.

Both teams return to NJAC action Saturday. Kean hosts New Jersey City University at 1 p.m., while Rutgers-Camden travels to William Paterson University for a 3 p.m. contest.

Buffalo State women
outlast Rutgers-Camden

WILLIAMSPORT, Penn. (Jan. 5, 2008) – Junior forward Alyssa Kinney (Medford, NY/Bellport) hit a pair of foul shots with 7:34 remaining to give the Buffalo State College women’s basketball team the lead for good and the Bengals went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 55-44, on the second day of action at Lycoming College’s Hoops for Hounds Tournament.

Although the tournament had pre-determined matchups, Saturday’s second game, in effect, was the championship contest, with host Lycoming College outlasting Fredonia State, 58-53. Both teams had won their opening game on Friday night.

Rutgers-Camden (4-6) and Buffalo State (5-6) were tied, 19-19, at halftime, the first of six tie scores during the game. The final tie came at 36-36, when Kinney made the first of two straight foul shots, which gave the Bengals their 37-36 lead. Buffalo State stretched that margin to 11 points by the end of the game.

Kinney, junior forward Shareese Hamer (Erie, PA/Strong Vincent) and sophomore guard Cat Ejimadu (Buffalo, NY/Bennett) each scored 10 points for the winners. Hamer also collected a game-high 12 rebounds and five steals. Freshman guard Barb Kiliszek (Depew, NY/Lancaster) added six assists to tie for game-high honors.

Rutgers-Camden received a double-double from senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The 10 points gave her an even 600 for her Scarlet Raptor career.

Freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) also scored 10 points for the Lady Raptors to tie for team- and game-high honors. Blackwell added seven rebounds and was named to the All-Tournament team. She joined Lycoming’s Becky Leid and Jessica Zerbee, Fredonia State’s Cheryl Kindzia and Buffalo State’s Toya Parks.

Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) tied for game-high honors with six assists. She also added two steals to hike her career total to 320, only 25 shy of the program record set by Tamara Carey (1991-95).

Rutgers-Camden returns to action Wednesday night when the Lady Raptors entertain Kean University at 6 p.m. in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game.

Fredonia State women rally
to overcome Rutgers-Camden

WILLIAMSPORT, Penn. (Jan. 4, 2008) – Senior forward Cheryl Kindzia (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville North) scored on a jumper with 25 seconds remaining to break a tie score and spark the Fredonia State women’s basketball team to a 47-43 comeback victory over Rutgers University-Camden on the opening night of play at the Lycoming Tournament here Friday.

In Friday’s other game, host Lycoming College defeated Buffalo State, 64-56.

Saturday’s schedule in the tournament with pre-determined matchups features Rutgers-Camden playing Buffalo State at 1 p.m., followed by Lycoming against Fredonia State at 3 p.m.

Rutgers-Camden (4-5) led throughout the entire game until the Blue Devils (5-4) went on a 10-1 run to take a 42-41 lead with 3:28 remaining.
Fredonia State forged ahead on a pair of foul shots by senior guard Maria Scaffidi (Buffalo, NY/Holy Angels). Three minutes later, with the score tied at 42-42, Kindzia put Fredonia State on top to stay, on her way to a game-high 15 points. She also had a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Scaffidi finished with 13 points for the Blue Devils, including nine in the second half when Fredonia State rallied from deficits as large as nine points (29-20 and 31-22). The Blue Devils trailed 40-32 with 6:26 remaining before going on a 10-1 run to take their first lead of the night.

Fredonia State’s comeback spoiled another huge performance by Lady Raptor senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional), who had a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 steals. The 10 steals were one shy of her single-game program mark of 11 (set against Montclair State Jan. 4, 2006) and marked the third time in her career she hit double figures in steals in one game. Hafiz, who is closing in on the school record of 345 steals by Tamara Carey (1991-95), hiked her career total to 318. She also passed the 800-point plateau with her team-high 12 points, and now has scored 805 points in her career.

Senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) notched nine points and five rebounds for the Raptors, while adding six steals and dishing out a team-high four assists. She tied for the team rebounding lead with Hafiz and freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), who scored seven points.

In addition to Kindzia and Scaffidi, freshman guard Caroline Hourihan (Buffalo, NY/Nardin Academy) added 10 points for the Blue Devils. She scored eight of them in the second half.

Fredonia State shot 39.6 percent (19-for-48) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden was 16-for-52 (30.8 percent). The Blue Devils held a 40-35 advantage off the boards and also made 32 turnovers to the Raptors’ 25.

Daly helps York College women
race past Rutgers-Camden

CAMDEN (Dec. 30, 2007) –  Senior guard/forward Kristen Daly (Harrisburg, PA/Trinity) collected a game-high 21 points, including 12 in the opening half, to spark the York College women’s basketball team over Rutgers University-Camden, 65-51, in a non-conference game here Sunday afternoon.

York improves to 7-3, snapping a three-game losing streak, while Rutgers-Camden falls to 4-4.

The Spartans scored the first nine points of the game – including five by Daly – on their way to a 38-14 halftime lead. In addition to Daly’s 12 points in the opening half for York, junior guard Keli Ward (Nottingham, PA/Oxford) added nine.

For Rutgers-Camden, senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) notched seven of the Lady Raptors’ 14 first-half points.

The Spartans’ junior forward Chanel Perez (Biglerville, PA/Gettysburg) hit a layup out of the gate in the second half to give York its biggest lead of the game, 40-14, before the Lady Raptors forged a comeback.

Rutgers-Camden scored 34 of the next 50 points, cutting its deficit to 56-48 with two minutes remaining on a three-point play by freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling). With their lead whittled to eight points, however, the Spartans found an answer to the Raptors’ comeback in junior guard Donna Figenshu (Kennett Square, PA/Unionville). Figenshu drilled a three-pointer then added a pair of foul shots on the Spartans’ next trip down the court, scoring five straight points to put the game away at 61-48. She finished the day with 10 points.

Ward finished with 13 points and a game-high six assists for the Spartans, while freshman guard April Sparkman (Walkersville, MD/Walkersville) had a game-high nine rebounds.

Daly also finished with a team-high four steals.

For the Lady Raptors, Hafiz notched 17 points and a game-high five steals, hiking her career total to 308 steals. She is 37 shy of tying the Raptors’ career mark for steals, held by Tamara Carey (1991-95).

Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added 12 points for Rutgers-Camden, while Blackwell and senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) tied for the team lead with eight rebounds apiece.

York shot 47.1 percent (24-for-51) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden was 17-for-55 (30.9 percent). The Lady Raptors held a 38-35 edge off the boards.

The Raptors return to action Friday in the first round of the Lycoming College Tournament. They face Fredonia State at 8 p.m.

York hosts Oneonta State Friday at 6 p.m. in the opening game of its own Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Rutgers-Camden’s Blackwell earns
NJAC Rookie of the Week honors

CAMDEN (Dec. 10, 2007) – Rutgers University-Camden freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week today after collecting a double-double in Saturday’s 66-56 victory at NJAC rival Ramapo College.

Blackwell notched 15 points and 11 rebounds, while adding one block and two steals in the Lady Raptors’ lone game of the week. She went 6-for-11 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, and also shot 2-for-5 from the foul line. Eight of her 11 rebounds came off the offensive boards for the Raptors, who own a 4-3 record overall and a 1-0 mark in the NJAC.

Blackwell’s performance against Ramapo produced her second straight double-double and the third double-double of her seven-game collegiate career. Her biggest game came Nov. 20 when she notched career highs of 21 points and 17 rebounds at Drew University.

For the season, Blackwell is averaging 11.7 points (fourth on the team) and leads the Lady Raptors with a rebounding average of 9.4. She also has nine steals, five assists and one blocked shot.

Blackwell was a two-year basketball letterwinner at Sterling High School, where she earned Defensive MVP honors and was named the Player of the Week during her career with the Silver Knights. She also was an Honor Roll student from her sophomore through her senior years.

A Psychology major at Rutgers-Camden, Karima is the daughter of Katherine and Basil Blackwell of Somerdale.

Hafiz powers Rutgers-Camden women
to NJAC-opening win at Ramapo

MAHWAH (Dec. 8, 2007) – Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) scored 25 points – one shy of her career high – and became only the second player in program history to collect 300 career steals as she powered the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team to a 66-56 victory over Ramapo College in the New Jersey Athletic Conference opener for both teams here Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Raptors improve to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC, while Ramapo falls to 3-3 and 0-1. It is the latest that Rutgers-Camden has been over .500 since ending its 2002-03 season at 22-7.

Hafiz, who scored 23 of her 25 points as the Lady Raptors took a 34-19 halftime lead, came within one point of her career high of 26, which also came against Ramapo on Jan. 27, 2007. She also grabbed six steals to lift her career total to 303, helping her join Tamara Carey as the only players in program history to pass 300 steals. Carey set the program mark of 345 steals from 1991-95.

Hafiz’s 25 points, meanwhile, lifted her career scoring output to 776.

Hafiz collected her milestone steal with 7:29 left in the first half, and then added the front end of a one-and-one to tie the game at 13-13. That foul shot sparked the Raptors on a 22-6 run to close out the first half. The Roadrunners never came closer than seven points in the second half.

In addition to Hafiz, freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) notched 15 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double in seven career collegiate games.

Senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) added 10 points for the Lady Raptors.

Ramapo received a double-double from freshman center Danielle Beam (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North), who collected 13 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard/forward Brittany Royer (Westwood, NJ/Paramus) added 11 rebounds for the Roadrunners, who return to action on Saturday, December 15th when they take on the College of Staten Island at 2 p.m. 

The Lady Raptors are idle until they host York College on Sunday, Dec. 30, in a 1 p.m. non-conference game.

Oyola, Blackwell notch double-doubles
as Rutgers-Camden women top Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Dec. 1, 2007) –  Senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) and freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) each collected double-doubles that included team-high totals of 11 rebounds to power the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team over Brooklyn College, 71-62, in a non-conference game here Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Raptors even their record at 3-3, snapping a two-game losing streak. Brooklyn, which had won two straight games and was 2-0 at home this season, falls to 2-3.

The Bridges held a 31-30 halftime lead, aided by 12 points from freshman guard Amber Gordon (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin), who went on to notch a game-high 23 points. The Lady Raptors, however, scored the first basket of the second half on a jumper by senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken), taking the lead for good at 32-31. They increased their lead to as many as 13 points (66-53) on the way to their victory.

Oyola finished with a team-high 21 points, one shy of her career high at Rutgers-Camden, while also setting a career high with 11 rebounds. Her previous high was nine boards against Regis College in the season opener Nov. 16. She went 9-for-14 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, and added two assists and a game-high four steals. The steals tied her career high set against the College of Staten Island on Dec. 12, 2006.

Blackwell, meanwhile, had 10 points to go along with her 11 rebounds.

Parker had 16 points to tie her career high accomplished twice previously this season, while tying her career high of three assists. Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) also turned in an outstanding game for Rutgers-Camden, collecting 13 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a tying for game-high honors with four assists.

For the Bridges, Gordon went 9-for-10 from the floor on her way to 23 points. Ashley Allen (Sunnyside, NY/William C. Bryant) added 13 points for Brooklyn, while Jaclyn Cavalcante (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison) added 12 points and four assists, tying Jankowski for game-high assist honors. The Bridges’ Joelle Laurenceau (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood) collected a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Lady Raptors held a 44-32 advantage off the boards and shot 43.3 percent from the floor (26-for-60), while the Bridges shot 44.4 (20-for-45). Brooklyn, however, hit only 15 of 26 foul shots (57.7 percent), while the Lady Raptors canned 70 percent (14-for-20).

The Lady Raptors return to action Saturday, Dec. 8, when they open their New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule with a 1 p.m. game at Ramapo College. That will be their final game until they host York College on Sunday, Dec. 30, at 1 p.m.

McGinness scores 29 to power
undefeated Albright past Rutgers-Camden

CAMDEN (Nov. 29, 2007) –  Freshman guard Jessica McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy Kenrick) scored a career-high 29 points to spark the undefeated Albright College women’s basketball team to a 73-66 victory over Rutgers University-Camden in a non-conference game here Thursday.

Albright improves to 5-0, giving the Lions the best start in their program’s history.

Rutgers-Camden falls to 2-3.

The Lions took a lead as big as 20 points in the opening half on the way to a 37-25 halftime advantage. McGinness notched 16 points in the opening 20 minutes for the visitors. Albright opened up a lead as large as 24 points with 7:32 remaining in the game, increasing its margin to 67-43 before substitutions, fouls, turnovers and missed shots helped fuel a comeback by the Lady Raptors.

Rutgers-Camden went on a 20-2 run, led by eight points from senior guard/forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton), who prior to the game was honored for scoring her 1,000th career point in a road game Sunday. Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) added five points in the run on her way to a team-high 22-point night.

Rutgers-Camden closed the gap to 69-63 with 2:10 remaining before the Lions closed out the game hitting four of six foul shots to clinch the victory. Albright shot 15-for-21 (71.4 percent) from the foul line on the night.

McGinness went 9-for-14 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, and 10-for-12 from the foul line to produce her big night. She added three rebounds, two steals and one assist.

Senior forward Jacqueline Hardwick (Dallas, PA/Dallas) had a team-high six rebounds for the Lions, who held a 35-25 advantage off the boards. Junior guard Charlotte Ciccone (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) dished out a game-high six assists, while freshman guard Rory Yerkes (Ambler, PA/Upper Dublin) added four.

In addition to 22 points, Hafiz notched game-high totals of seven rebounds and four steals for Rutgers-Camden. The Lady Raptors also received 12 points from freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) and 10 points and five rebounds from Oyola.
Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added a team-high five assists.

Albright shot 56 percent (28-for-50) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden shot 44 percent (22-for-50).

The Lady Raptors return to action Saturday when they play a 12:30 p.m. non-conference game at Brooklyn College. The Lions also play Saturday, hosting DeSales University at 2 p.m.

Oyola hits 1,000-point milestone,
but Rutgers-Camden falls to King’s

WILKES-BARRE, Penn.  (Nov. 25, 2007) –  Senior guard Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) passed the 1,000-point milestone for her collegiate career, but the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team lost to King’s College, 69-50, in a non-conference game here Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Monarchs, who were playing their home opener, improved to 3-1. The Lady Raptors fell to 2-2 in the game which was a homecoming of sorts for first-year Rutgers-Camden Head Coach Kate Bowes. Bowes graduated from King’s College in 2003 after a four-year career with the Lady Monarchs.

Senior guard Jenna Palumbo (Hazleton, PA/Hazelton Area) scored a game-high 16 points to lead a trio of King’s players in double figures. Junior guard Kaitlyn Fiorino (North Brunswick, NJ/Immaculata) netted 14 points and sophomore guard/forward Jessica Paettie (Drexel Hill, PA/Archbishop Prendergast) added 10 for King’s College.

The Lady Monarchs raced to an 8-0 lead and led for most of the opening half until the Lady Raptors rallied to take a 23-21 lead with 3:37 remaining in the half on a pair of foul shots by Oyola. Fiorino, however, responded with a three-pointer to spark King’s on a 13-5 spurt to grab a 34-28 halftime lead.

Oyola hit a jumper with three seconds remaining in the half for the Lady Raptors, giving her nine points in the game and an even 1,000 for her career. She scored 736 points during her two years at Cumberland County College. With 13 points against King’s, she now has notched 268 at Rutgers-Camden, giving her 1,004 points in her combined career.

King’s opened up a 48-34 lead early in the second half before Rutgers-Camden slashed the margin to 51-46, but the Lady Raptors never came closer the rest of the way.

Senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) scored a team-high 15 points for the Raptors, while Oyola and senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) each collected 13. Parker added a career-high four steals.

Hafiz also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to produce a double-double, while adding another game high of five steals. The five steals brought her career total to 291. 

King’s shot 40 percent from the floor (22-for-55), while Rutgers-Camden was only 30.8 (16-for-52). The Lady Monarchs also held a 39-37 edge off the boards.

The Lady Raptors open their home season Thursday with a 6 p.m. game against Albright College.

Blackwell’s huge game sparks
Lady Raptors’ past Drew

MADISON (Nov. 20, 2007) –  Freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) exploded for a double-double of 21 points and 17 rebounds in only her third collegiate game to lead the Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team over Drew University, 63-45, in a non-conference game here Tuesday night.

Blackwell went 8-for-13 from the floor and had more defensive rebounds – 13 – than anyone else had in total rebounds on the night.
Rutgers-Camden, 2-1, also received 16 points from senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken), tying the career high she set Friday against Regis College.

Rutgers-Camden raced to a 29-18 halftime lead en route to its second straight win. The Raptors held a 38-36 edge off the boards and held Drew to 27.6 percent (16-for-58) shooting from the floor.

Senior guard Allison Hartnett (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Dobbs Ferry) paced the Rangers with 13 points.

Rutgers-Camden returns to action Sunday it plays a 2 p.m. road game at King’s College, the alma mater of new Lady Raptors Head Coach Kate Bowes. The Raptors open their home season Nov. 29 with a 6 p.m. game against Albright College.

Oyola helps Bowes earn first victory
as Lady Raptors’ basketball coach

BOSTON, Mass. (Nov. 17, 2007) –  Senior guard Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) collected her Rutgers-Camden career high of 22 points to power the Lady Raptors over Pine Manor College, 86-49, in the consolation game of the Seventh Annual Tip-Off Classic here Saturday afternoon at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

Oyola’s big night helped new Lady Raptors Head Coach Kate Bowes earn her first collegiate coaching victory. Bowes joined the Rutgers-Camden program this season after three years as an assistant coach at Albright College.

Oyola went 9-for-12 from the field, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, and added three free throws in four attempts as she scored her 22 points, passing her previous Rutgers-Camden high of 17 points against Goucher College, Jan. 6, 2007. With 30 points in her first two games, Oyola hiked her combined career total to 989 points, including 736 during her first two collegiate seasons at Cumberland County College. She will have a chance to pass the 1,000-point plateau Tuesday when the Lady Raptors play a 6 p.m. game at Drew University.

In the title game, host UMass-Boston edged Regis College, 62-58, behind 18 points from senior guard LaKeisha Tucker, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team along with teammate Myrna Tangar, who was named tournament MVP. Oyola’s performance also earned her a spot on the All-Tournament Team, along with Pine Manor’s Amanda Dennis and the Regis College duo of Jessie Page and Laura Sears.

Rutgers-Camden, which evened its record at 1-1, raced to a 38-26 halftime lead against Pine Manor (0-2). The Lady Raptors led by as many as 38 points in the second half, when junior guard Renee Celentano (Cherry Hill, NJ/Burlington Township) hit a three-pointer with 3:57 remaining to make it a 76-38 game.

Freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) collected 16 points and tied senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) with a game-high seven rebounds. Senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) added 13 points for the Raptors, who shot 54.1 percent (33-for-61) from the field.

Hafiz added eight points, four assists and three steals, while senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) added four steals and five assists.

Dennis scored 18 points for Pine Manor, which shot 29.8 percent (17-for-57) from the field, made 30 turnovers and was out-rebounded, 41-33.

Regis College women outlast
Rutgers-Camden in opener

BOSTON, Mass. (Nov. 16, 2007) –  Jessica Page scored a game-high 19 points and teammate Kimberly Mariotti added 16 as the Regis College women’s basketball team weathered a furious Rutgers-Camden comeback and went on to defeat the Lady Raptors, 65-54, in the opening game of the Seventh Annual Tip-Off Classic here Friday night at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

In the nightcap, host UMass-Boston defeated Pine Manor College, 70-51, to move into Saturday’s 3 p.m. championship game against Regis. Rutgers-Camden faces Pine Manor at 1 p.m. in the consolation game.

Trailing, 37-25, at halftime, Rutgers-Camden went on a 24-11 run to open the second half, taking a 49-48 lead with 6:20 remaining on a pair of foul shots by senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional). Hafiz had seven points in the run, while senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) notched six and senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) added five.

With the score tied at 52-52, however, Laura Sears hit a layup to spark a seven-point run by Regis, sending the Lady Raptors to their season-opening loss.

In addition to the big scoring outputs by Page and Mariotti, Regis also received 10 rebounds from Sarah McNult, tying the Raptors’ freshman forward Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) for game-high honors. Blackwell also added seven points, two assists and two steals in her first collegiate game.

Hafiz finished the night with 17 points for the Raptors and also added three steals to hike her career total to 280, 65 shy of the Rutgers-Camden career record.

Parker finished with a career-high 16 points, passing her previous high of 12 set against Rowan University Feb. 7, 2007.
Rutgers-Camden out-rebounded Regis, 41-35, led by Blackwell’s 10 rebounds. Jankowski and senior forward Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) each added nine boards for the Lady Raptors.

Regis shot 38.9 percent (21-for-54) from the field, while Rutgers-Camden shot 33.3 (20-for-60).

Rutgers-Camden women set to open Bowes era

2006-07 season review/2007-08 preview

The Rutgers University-Camden women’s basketball team is drawing up blueprints for a new program and the chief architect is first-year Head Coach Kate Bowes.

Bowes comes to Rutgers-Camden with a history of success as a collegiate player at King’s College, a scholastic star at Arch Bishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill and an assistant coach at Albright College. She will be the fifth head coach in five seasons for the Lady Raptors, and looks to close the revolving door of a program that has gone 31-69 the last four seasons since capturing the 2003 New Jersey Athletic Conference championship.

The Lady Raptors open their season Nov. 16, facing Regis (MA) College at 5:30 p.m. in the first game of the Seventh Annual Tip-Off Classic at UMass-Boston.

Bowes’ first team features four letterwinners from the 2006-07 squad, which posted an 8-17 record overall and a 2-11 mark in the NJAC. Returning for their senior season are captains Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional), Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) and Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken).

“It’s hard for the seniors,” said Bowes, referring to the last four years. “We have four great seniors who have stuck it out. They show great leadership skills to the younger freshmen coming in. This is a big step for these freshmen, playing college ball. With the seniors going through a lot, they’ve shown a lot of leadership. I give them a lot of credit for sticking it out.”

The multi-talented Hafiz is a leader on and off the court. Hafiz earned All-NJAC Honorable Mention last season, when she led the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and steals (108), finished second in assists (58) and blocks (11) and third in rebounding (5.9 rpg). The lightning-quick guard joined Jankowski on the all-tournament team at the season-opening James P. Richardson Memorial Tip-Off Tournament at Lincoln University (Nov. 17-18). She was named to the d3hoops.com Team of the Week on Feb. 1 and enters her senior season with 277 career steals, second on the all-time list and only 68 shy of the program mark set by Tamara Carey (1991-95). She already is one of only three players in program history with more than 500 career points and 200 career steals. When she gets to 300 career steals, she’ll join only Carey in that exclusive club. She enters her senior season with 673 points, only 327 shy of becoming the 11th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She scored a team-high 320 points as a junior.

“Imani is the strength of our team,” Bowes said. “She is the leader. She’s had a great four years and she’s hoping to take it one step further, making the playoffs. She’s a very intense player.”

Hafiz isn’t the only talented guard who returns to the Raptors. Jankowski averaged 7.2 points, had 48 steals and led the team with 83 assists and an 8.8 rebounding average. She needs only 12 rebounds to reach 500 for her career and is 85 assists shy of becoming the fourth player in program history to reach 300. She also owns 142 career steals and 530 points.

Jankowski joined Hafiz on the all-tournament team at the James P. Richardson Memorial Tip-Off Tournament, opening the season with back-to-back 11-rebound games. Her finest all-around performance came at Rowan University Jan. 10, when she collected a triple-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Her career high of 21 rebounds came at Gwynedd-Mercy College Feb. 12.

“Krystal is all over the place, but you don’t notice it,” said Bowes, who praised Jankowski’s steady, unheralded contributions. “She can have a double-double, but you don’t notice until you look at the stats. She’s a quiet player.”

In the same vein is Oyola, who returns for her second season with the Lady Raptors. She averaged 8.9 points (third on the team) as a junior. Coupled with her stellar two years at Cumberland County College before she transferred to Rutgers-Camden, she needs only 41 points to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her combined collegiate career.

“Carmen has done a lot,” Bowes said. “She doesn’t talk much. She leads by example and how she plays on the court.”

Parker, meanwhile, returns for her third year with the Lady Raptors’ basketball team. She averaged 3.9 points last season before returning to the softball diamond, where she has been a driving force behind the Lady Raptors’ outstanding success the last two seasons. She hit .354 on the Raptors’ Division III national championship softball team in 2006 and .302 last season as the Rutgers-Camden won another NJAC title.
“Amber is a tenacious player,” Bowes said. “She’ll get in your face and get in her teammates’ face. She’s very good with taking them to the side and explaining what to do. She wants to win. She brings that winning intensity from softball to basketball, which we need. We need them to know it’s possible to win here.”

The 2006-07 Lady Raptors split their first six games and went 6-8 in their first 14 contests before the strength of their NJAC schedule saw them post a 2-9 mark the rest of the way. The Raptors lost five players from that squad, including four-year veteran Karen Carter (9.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), who was the last remaining link to Rutgers-Camden’s 2003 NJAC championship squad. Another loss was Jennifer Christy, who set a program record in her first eight games at Rutgers-Camden by sinking 19 consecutive foul shots (Nov. 17-Dec. 9).

The 2007-08 team returns the four senior captains and plenty of young talent, including freshmen Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling), Sarah Gorbe (Riverside, NJ/Riverside), Latoya Taylor (Bordentown, NJ/Bordentown Regional) and Jasmine White (Camden, NJ/Pennsauken Tech) and juniors Renee Celentano (Cherry Hill, NJ/Burlington Township), Shamira McNair (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) and Monique Spruill (Burlington, NJ/Burlington Township).

 “We have a good, solid starting five,” said Bowes, who will add Blackwell to the starting mix with her four seniors. “Our bench needs work, since we’re very low with the numbers. They all work hard, 1-11, but it would be nice to have a couple more.”

It would be nice to have some height, as well. Oyola, the team’s tallest player, is 5-9.

“Our biggest downfall will be our height this year,” said Bowes, “but we have some quick and strong players on our team. We’ll be looking to run and gun. Conditioning was big – we need to last all 40 minutes.

“We have worked a lot this pre-season with basic defensive skills, just doing the little things. You only score so much with run and gun. Our defense will definitely be big for us. There are players who will get in your face.”

There also is some nice, young talent for Bowes to fit into the puzzle.

“Our seniors are definitely going to lead, but we also have some promising freshmen,” said Bowes, citing Blackwell, a fine player out of an outstanding program at Sterling High School, and White, a 1,000-point scorer in high school.

The Raptors, who finished last in the five-team NJAC South Division a year ago, are the pre-season pick to return to the cellar in the NJAC coaches’ poll, but Bowes sees things differently.

“I’m very excited for this year,” she said. “Everyone sees us as the underdog – another coach, another year. I think we have a lot of potential.”

Coming from a winning tradition, Bowes is looking to re-establish that success at Rutgers-Camden. She will be aided by first-year coaches Samuel Johnson and Malinda Fife, a former star at West Chester University. Also returning to the bench as an assistant coach after a year’s absence is former Lady Raptor Amy Dick, who was a key cog as a senior on the 2003 Rutgers-Camden NJAC championship squad.

“With the winning tradition that Amy had here, Fife being from West Chester, which is always a top team, and myself from King’s, we each bring our winning experiences,” Bowes said. “I want these seniors, with all they went through, to go out with a winning season, so they can start a tradition.”