NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's basketball team came out on top on the road at New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday night, Jan. 19. The Gothic Knights defeated the Scarlet Raiders, 75-68, behind a game-high 19 points from junior Laney Fox (Parkland, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) and a double-double from sophomore Damaris Rodriguez (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus).

Jersey City (5-6, 3-7 NJAC) went down by five points midway through the first quarter against Rutgers-Newark (3-11, 0-8 NJAC), however the Gothic Knights took control of the momentum with back-to-back-to-back threes. Freshman Olivia Wooten (East Orange, N.J./Immaculate Conception) drilled treys at 4:30 and 3:56, followed by a jumper from downtown by Fox at 2:17 to give NJCU a 16-12 lead. The squad eventually took a five-point, 20-15 lead after the first 10:00.

The second quarter saw the Scarlet Raiders claw back into it, tying up the game several times before NJCU was able to take a two-point, 33-31 lead into the break. Rutgers-Newark continued to put the pressure on and managed to grab as large as a three-point lead on several occasions in the third quarter, including as late as 5:53 with the score at 43-40. Lightning once again struck for the Gothic Knights at this point and they set out on a 10-0 run to take a seven-point lead.

Freshman Tahirah Kelley (Linden, N.J./Immaculate Conception) started with a free throw at 4:49, followed by a layup from reigning NJAC Rookie of the Week Liyah Allen (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) at 4:21. Rodriguez then sank a pair of free throws at 3:51, followed by another three-pointer for Wooten at 3:06. Then after over a minute of scoreless basketball, Rodriguez sank another layup to make it a 50-43 game with 1:50 left in the third. Rutgers-Newark managed to make it a three-point game quickly, but a jumper from freshman Kyla Craddock (Orange, N.J./Newark Tech) at 00:41 and a pair of foul shots from junior Jada Camacho (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson) at 00:19 once again made it a seven-point game, 54-47 to end the quarter.

Things did not slow down for Jersey City as the squad controlled the pace of play throughout the fourth and final quarter en route to a game-best 14-point lead at 69-55 with 3:42 remaining. The Gothic Knights reached that lead when leading by nine as Fox drilled back-to-back threes to stretch out their advantage. The Scarlet Raiders tried to come back several times, but never got back to within less than seven, the final score of 75-68.

Highlights:
- Fox's 19 points tied her NJCU career-best. She was also just one board shy of a double-double with a team-high nine to go with a pair of assists.
- Rodriguez chipped in 13 points, a steal and a game-best 11 assists for her third-career double-double.
- Camacho also chipped in 13 points to go with six boards, one helper, one block and a game-high-tying three steals.
- Craddock contributed a career-high 12 points, while Allen pulled down eight boards, scored six points and blocked a career- and game-best three shots.
- Wooten was 3-of-4 from the floor, all from three, to chip in nine points, while Kelley had three points, three steals and four boards.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on the road when they travel to Camden, N.J., on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 22, for a 1:00 p.m. clash with NJAC foe Rutgers-Camden. Jersey City has topped the Scarlet Raptors in four straight, including a 70-39 romp at home earlier this season on Dec. 4.