SOURCE: https://njcugothicknights.com/news/2019/1/13/201901-12_WBASKETBALL_at_Rutgers-Camden.aspx

CAMDEN, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Less than 48 hours after Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) of the New Jersey City University women's basketball team (4-11, 1-8 NJAC) was able to set the single-game school record with 46 points against Pratt Institute, the Scarlet Raptors of Rutgers-Camden (9-6, 5-4 NJAC) were able to limit Bacon to a season-low 14 points, topping the Gothic Knights by a final score of 79-60 in the process. NJCU was playing for the third time in four days.
 
For only the second time this season, the Knights had a leading scorer not named Bacon, as freshman guard Teresa Ortiz (Newark, N.J./University) led the way with 17 points and four rebounds. This was only the second game of the NJCU season for the true freshman, who impressed with seven points in just 11 minutes in her season debut against Pratt. The 17 points and four rebounds were both, naturally, career-highs for the young guard. She made four threes in 25 minutes. Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune), the national leader in steals per game entering play, was limited to one swipe.
 
Joining Ortiz and Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) in double figures was Miesha Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune), who was limited to 26 minutes because of foul trouble but still chipped in with 13 points and four rebounds. Christine Bizub (Fort Lee, NJ/Fort Lee) and Zyearah Taylor-Gaston (Jersey City, NJ/Marist (via St. Anthony)) contributed to the cause with seven and six points, respectively.
 
Just one game after forcing Pratt into 47 turnovers with a school-record 39 steals, the Knights were only able to collect 15 points off Rutgers-Camden turnovers, and on a day when buckets were not coming easy for the Knights (34.4 percent from the field, compared to 51.7 percent for Camden), they needed all the fast-break points they could get.
 
The box score was nearly even between the two teams, with the Scarlet Raptors simply making more shots than the Knights. The two teams were nearly dead even in offensive rebounds, turnovers, and both free throws and three-pointers made, but NJCU led for just 20 seconds the entire game.
 
That lead came on a Bizub layup on the first possession, but Camden responded with a 6-0 run and never looked back, leading for the remainder of the game. The lead grew to double-digits in the second quarter when the Raptors outscored NJCU 16-5, and stretched as far as 21 before the break before the Raptors went to the half leading 42-23.
 
Camden kept NJCU at arm's length thanks to the strong play of junior guard Fatima Williams (Camden, N.J.) who had 24 points and eight rebounds, as well as freshman guard Wykira Johnson-Kelly (Franklinville, N.J.) who tallied 19 points and five rebounds. Senior forward Ariel Robinson (Pennsauken, N.J.) had a near double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points while senior guard Gabby Greene (Howell, N.J.) scored 11. Sophomore guard Shane Holmes (Mount Laurel, N.J.) contributed eight points and five assists.
 
The Knights looked to make their move late in the third, going on a 10-0 run from the 2:02 mark to the 0:35 mark, on the strength of eight points from the Bacon sisters. However, the Raptors scored the next seven to push the lead back out to 20 at the 9:44 mark in the fourth, essentially wrapping up any chance of an NJCU comeback.  
 
NOTABLES:

• Series: 62nd meeting. Rutgers-Camden leads, 38-24, extending their current win streak in the series to seven with Saturday's victory.
• Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) saw her scoring averaging drop slightly, from 26.2 to 25.4 points per game. She will still lead the NJAC, while potentially slipping from third to fourth in the country in points per game based on the rest of Saturday's action. Her one steal sees her steals per game average drop slightly to 5.2, but it should still be enough to see her leading all of Division III women's basketball in steals per game.
• Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) now has 1,968 career points. She is 32 away from joining the 2,000-point club—something achieved by just 46 players in Division III history. The only other player in Division III near the milestone is Madison Temple of nation powerhouse Thomas More with 1,924 points, but has already played 22 games this season and does not play again until January 26.
• Bacon is on pace to score her 2000th point next week, at home either on Monday against Wesleyan or Wednesday, January 16 vs. Kean—her former school.
• Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) has now scored in double figures 82 times in 83 career games between Kean (2015-18, 67 times in 68 games) and NJCU (15 times in 15 games). Other updated career totals for Bacon:
  • 20-Point Games: 56 (44 at Kean, 12 at NJCU)
  • 25-Point Games: 37 (30 at Kean, seven at NJCU)
  • 30-Point Games: 20 (16 at Kean, four at NJCU)
  • 35-Point Games: 10 (eight at Kean, two at NJCU)
  • 40-Point Games: 5 (four at Kean; career high, 46 at NJCU)

 
UP NEXT:

• The Knights play one final non-conference opponent, hosting Wesleyan University (8-5) at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, January 14 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. This will be just the second time in NJCU history that the school has hosted a program from the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), the first time coming earlier this year when the women's basketball team hosted two-time defending national champion Amherst College.

 
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