Rowan’s 2025-26 campaign came to an end on Saturday as the third-seeded Profs lost, 69-55, to the six-seeded Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors in their New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Quarterfinal at Esbjornson Gymnasium in Glassboro. After defeating Rutgers-Camden twice throughout the regular season, Rowan found themselves flat footed on a bigger stage.
“I think they had us circled,” head coach Kate Pearson said. “They wanted to play us again. and so I think they just kind of came out firing.”
The defeat marks the third consecutive season that Rowan has fallen in the first round of the NJAC playoffs under coach Pearson, with both back-to-back exits taking place on their home court.
The brown and gold were only down three by the end of the first, but a second quarter Scarlet Raptor explosion was all it took for the opposition to seize the game by scoring 20 points to Rowan’s eight. From that point on, Rutgers-Camden activated cruise control.
“I think our inexperience got a little rattled in the beginning, and then they just hit a bunch of shots and we couldn’t really get in flow on offense,” Pearson said. “It’s hard to win against anybody when you can’t make shots or give yourself enough opportunities.”
The loss not only ended Rowan’s season, it concluded the careers of three seniors, Charlotte Carlies, Jess McLaughlin, and Jes Mastriano.
“No matter what happened today, we love each other,” Mastriano said. “Especially Jess [McLaughlin], we started playing together in 8th grade, then came here both as freshmen, so just, you know, it was heartbreaking.”
Mastriano was Rowan’s top competitor, scoring a career-high 17 points while going 9-for-13 at the charity stripe in what was the final game of her four year tenure.
“[I] wish that the career-high led to a win, but no, definitely grateful that that’s how it turned out for me.”
Rowan found success getting to the line, taking a season-high 41 free throws and knocking down 27 total in an attempt to fight back. In the end, shots were falling from everyone and everywhere for the Scarlet Raptors as it was indeed their day.
The Profs are now eliminated from this year’s NJAC tournament, having gone 16-9 in the regular season. For a younger group to perform as they did, positive reflection is in effect.
“I just hope that the girls, I don’t know, take away just the family aspect of it,” Mastriano said. “Through the tough times, the good times, we were always there for each other.”
An upcoming offseason and eventual new season gives Rowan women’s basketball ample time to adjust and build off this emotional loss.
“For our freshmen, sophomores, juniors returning to use this as the experience they gained this year, [and] as an opportunity and motivation to come back next year,” Pearson said.
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