SOURCE: https://njcugothicknights.com/news/2018/11/17/201811-17_WBASKETBALL_at_Purchase.aspx
MADISON, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | With 4:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, New Jersey City University senior guard Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) hit freshman wing Zyearah Taylor-Gaston (Jersey City, NJ/Marist (via St. Anthony)) for a layup, giving the Gothic Knights a two-point edge (63-61) over defending MAC Freedom Conference champion Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham in the first game of the Patrick Devaney era at NJCU. However, a near-four-minute drought for the Knights immediately ensued, allowing FDI (2-1) to pull out the 75-67 victory over NJCU (0-1) on Saturday, November 17 at Ferguson Recreation Center.
Despite the loss, there were a pair of very strong NJCU debuts. Freshman center Jasmine Reese (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) led the way for the Knights with 23 points and 14 rebounds, making an impressive 9-of-10 shots from the field.
"I think she got a taste of what college basketball is," new head coach Patrick Devaney said. "She's only going to get better."
Senior transfer point guard Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) played all 40 minutes in her NJCU debut, tallying 21 points on 25 shots, with seven steals, seven rebounds, and three assists.
"Marajiah played well," Devaney noted. "She did a great job breaking the press they put on to slow us down in the second half."
The entire game was a back-and-forth affair, with the Gothic Knights getting off to a particularly strong start. Reese and Bacon combined for the game's first six points, and NJCU led 11-1 after a Bacon three at the 5:18 mark in the first quarter. However, the Devils chipped away at that lead in the first, and went on a 14-0 run in the second quarter, taking a 35-30 lead into the half.
FDU-Florham had a balanced attack on the evening, with four different players in double-digits, led by senior guard Kayla Croswell (Norwalk, Conn.) who had 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Senior guard Raven Dowling (Queens, N.Y.) also had a strong game for the Devils, with 11 points, seven assists, and seven steals. FDU played just eight players and four scored in double figures.
Turnovers were a bugaboo for the Knights all game, with 28 NJCU giveaways leading to 32 FDU-Florham points. The Knights forced 19 turnovers and got 15 points off those Devil giveaways.
"There were a lot of nerves for us," Devaney explained. "We had way too many turnovers and not enough assists. I'm expecting 15 assists a game, and we only had eight."
The Knights were able to put together their best quarter of the game in the third, coming out of the half hot, putting up 24 points in the quarter. The largest NJCU lead was nine, at 50-41 with 3:09 to go in the quarter, but FDU-Florham cut into the margin heading into the fourth, leaving the Knights up just one heading into the final 10 minutes.
For most of the fourth, the action was taught, with both teams going back-and-forth taking the lead. However, after going up 63-61 with 4:20 on the clock, the Knights went cold from the floor, not scoring another point until there were 25 seconds left in the game, and the matchup was pretty much decided. During this time, a pair of NJCU senior starters were lost, as Christine Bizub (Fort Lee, NJ/Fort Lee) left with an injury, and Miesha Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) fouled out.
"We weren't able to play NJCU basketball," Devaney said. "We weren't able to be aggressive like we wanted to be down the stretch."
Reese, Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune), and Zyearah Taylor-Gaston (Jersey City, NJ/Marist (via St. Anthony)) all finished with four fouls.
The Knights rotation went nine deep, with seven players getting at least 13 minutes. Freshman wing Taylor-Gaston was the Knights' third-leading scorer, tallying nine points and eight rebounds in her NJCU debut. Senior forward Miesha Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) pulled down nine rebounds and had a pair of steals in her first game in a Gothic Knight jersey.
NOTABLES:
- Series: 14th meeting. FDU leads, 11-3. First meeting since January 13, 2014.
- With 21 points, Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) went over the 1600-point plateau for her collegiate career. She has now scored 1,608 points in 69 career games between Kean University (2015-18) and NJCU (2018-19).
UP NEXT:
- Day two of the FDU Tip-Off Classic continues on Sunday, November 18 (3:00 p.m.) with the Knights squaring off against Purchase College (NY) once again in Madison, N.J. Purchase (0-2) fell 77-73 to Rutgers-Newark in the other opening round game of the tournament Saturday night. NJCU last played Purchase on December 13, 2014, winning a home game 66-57 on Coach Charlie Brown Court in the first-ever meeting between the schools.
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