Newark, NJ (1/29/05) - Freshman forward Eni Fageyinbo scored all of her game-high 16 points and junior center Christyal Anderson netted all nine of her points in the second half as Rutgers-Newark rallied from a 15-0 hole at the start of the contest for a 51-44 win over Montclair State in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball game in The Golden Dome.

Fageyinbo had 10 points and Anderson all nine of her tallies in a closing 31-9 run during the final 13 minutes which turned a 35-20 deficit into a victory. After failing to score in the first 11:15 of the game and trailing the Red Hawks at halftime, 26-16, the Raiders seemed unlikely to make it a game.

A layup by freshman guard JESSICA GARRABRANT, who finished with a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with five assists and four points, staked the Red Hawks (9-8, NJAC 4-6) to a 32-20 lead with 14:23 remaining.

The win upped Rutgers-Newark's record to 13-5 overall and 5-4 in the NJAC and guaranteed the team its first winning regular season since 1997-98 when the team finished 16-8.

Junior forward AMANDA MULLANEY, who totaled a team-high 13 points for MSU, netted six points in the game-opening 15-0 run which was capped by a free throw by sophomore forward FERIN CATLETT. Rutgers-Newark got no closer than eight points in the first half, hitting just 20 per cent of its shots. Freshman reserve guard Sabrina Sanchez knocked down a pair of jumpers from beyond the arc during the closing rally to finish with 13 points for the Raiders.

Sophomore forward STEPHANIE MACHIN had 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Red Hawks. Mullaney added seven rebounds while freshman point guard JESSICA HORAN hauled down eight rebounds.

The win broke a 15-game losing streak by Rutgers-Newark to Montclair State. The last Raider win was a 59-46 decision in The Golden Dome on February 9, 1997.