Hackettstown, N.J.: The Centenary University women's basketball team opened the new year with a 72–68 victory over Rutgers-Camden at the John M. Reeves Student Recreation Center. The Cyclones (7–4, 0–0 Atlantic East) raced out to an early advantage and held off a late Scarlet Raptors (6–6, 3–2 NJAC) charge to earn the hard-fought non-conference win. 

Centenary built a strong first quarter, outscoring Rutgers-Camden 21–8, and maintained its lead through the first half thanks to balanced scoring and timely defense. After a third quarter where both teams struggled to find consistency, the Cyclones pushed the tempo in the fourth and made key free throws down the stretch to preserve the advantage. 

Junior Vatijah Davis led all scorers with a dominant 30-point performance, going 12-for-22 from the field with two three-pointers and four made free throws, while also grabbing seven rebounds. Kayla Sampong added 13 points and 8 rebounds, and Ashanti Dewalt contributed 13 points of her own, including a key three-pointer in the final quarter. Alexa Osafo-Mensha chipped in eight points, and Jasmine Sampong scored two. Centenary's balanced effort on both ends included 25 made field goals overall and 18 made free throws, helping the Cyclones stay in front despite Rutgers-Camden's late push. 

The Cyclones will look to carry this momentum into conference play which starts next week.