Late Charge by Lightning Not Enough in 69-59 Loss to Rutgers-Newark

Feb. 29, 2012

NEWARK, N.J. - Say this about the 2011-12 version of the Lehman Lightning: the team never stopped playing no matter how big a hole it found itself in.

Faced with a 19-point second half deficit to top-ranked Rutgers-Newark University in the opening round of the ECAC Metro Championships, the Lightning stormed back to eventually tie the game with just over six minutes remaining. Amanda De La Cruz's jumper capped a 30-11 run, highlighted by a balanced scoring attack, which knotted the score at 50-all.

During the key stretch Lehman received eight points from Paula Robinson, eight from Leslie Mencia and seven from De La Cruz. But following De La Cruz's game-tying basket, the Scarlet Raiders counterpunched with a 13-2 run of their own to take a 63-52 lead with 2:12 remaining and effectively end the Lightning's hopes.

The second half charge by Lehman overshadowed a dismal first half that saw the team shoot just 19-percent from the floor while Rutgers-Newark converted at a 42-percent clip. Lehman's cold shooting allowed the hosts to enter the halftime locker room with a 37-20 lead.

In defeat the Lightning was led by De La Cruz's 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Robinson finished with 14 points and was joined in double figures by Mencia, who finished with 12 points (4-15 FG). Alicia McDaniel was solid on the glass with a team-high 11 rebounds.

Rutgers-Newark received a game-high 28 points from Kendra Johnson and a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards from Jasmine Daniels.

The Scarlet Raiders move on to play No. 4 seed Brooklyn College, which captured its opening round matchup against SUNY Old Westbury on a dramatic late game three-pointer.

Lehman finishes its season at 15-13 overall.

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