JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's basketball squad got back in the win column tonight, Wednesday, Jan. 24, with a 76-58 road victory over New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe William Paterson University. It is the Gothic Knights fourth straight triumph against the Pioneers and ninth in their last 10 meetings dating back January of 2020. Individually, NJCU was led by game-high totals in points and rebounds from senior All-American point guard Damaris Rodriguez (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus), who finished with her fourth double-double of the season and the 17th of her career. Additionally, senior forward Dayjah Anderson (East Orange, NJ/Newark Tech) had an efficient 16 points in just 20 minutes on the floor.

William Paterson (5-14, 3-9 NJAC) took an early six-point lead in the first, but it was the Gothic Knights (10-7, 8-4 NJAC) that followed with 10 unanswered points to go up by four at 14-10 with 3:02 remaining in the quarter — Anderson and Rodriguez each had five points during this stretch.. After the Pioneers cut it back down to three, NJCU scored the final five points of the quarter to take a seven-point, 21-14 lead into the second. Junior guard Alaisha Mumford (Jersey City, N.J./Lincoln) capped off the first with the old-fashioned three-point play, getting the bucket and the foul and sinking the free throw.

WPU chipped away slowly once again in the second, cutting it back down to a four-point deficit, however the Green and Gold once again took control and scored six of the final seven points in the quarter to take a nine-point, 36-27 lead into the half. Anderson hit back-to-back buckets to start the run before sophomore guard Elyssa Russo (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) capped off the first-half scoring with a jumper at 1:16 remaining. The home team tried to keep the gap at nine — and did so a handful of times in the third — but NJCU kept its foot on the gas and used a 7-0 run to go up by 16 for the first time at 53-37 with 3:19 remaining in the quarter. Later on, leading by 15, the Gothic Knights scored six straight points, including a long-range jumper from rookie guard Na'tori Postell (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Arts & Science Charter) with just two seconds remaining, to go into the fourth up by a game-high 21. The Pioneers could get no closer than 15 for the remainder of the contest before NJCU came away with the 18-point, 76-58 victory.

Highlights:
- The Gothic Knights did plenty of damage off the bench, outscoring the Pioneers 21-6 in bench points.
- Rodriguez finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and one steal.
- Anderson added seven boards and a steal to her night.
- Postell had eight points, seven boards and a steal.
- Russo chipped in seven, going 2-for-2 from the line and 2-for-3 from the floor.

Up Next:
The Green and Gold return to action, still on the road, for another NJAC clash against Kean University on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 27. After falling by just one point, 71-70, to the Cougars earlier this season at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC), NJCU looks to rebound with a series split. Tip-off in Union, N.J., is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.