TCNJ DROPS NJCU TO 0-3 IN LEAGUE PLAY; LIONS WIN 54-30

EWING, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University and The College of New Jersey played a competitive first half before the Lions limited NJCU to just 14 points in the second half and cruised past the Gothic Knights , 54-30, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Packer Hall.

TCNJ improves to 8-5 overall and 2-2 in the NJAC while the Knights (2-10, 0-3 NJAC) drop their fourth in a row. The Lions lead the all-time series 46-3. 

TCNJ led by just one or two possessions for much of the first half before increasing the margin to a dozen, 28-16, at the break. NJCU struggled to find points in the second half and tallied just six in the first 17:34 of the final period.

Senior guard CAROLINA GARCIA (Plainfield, NJ/Franklin) had 14 of NJCU's 30 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the floor. She added four assists and four rebounds. Freshman forward MARIA SUAREZ (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) collected a game-high eight rebounds and added four steals.

Sophomore guard GABRIELLE RIVERA (Teaneck, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades), tallied six rebounds, five points and three blocks in 35 minutes in her debut for NJCU after transferring mid-year from Caldwell College.

The Lions were led by junior forward Hannah Tait (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy), who compiled a game-best 15 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point distance. She added four assists. Senior guard Keri Washington (Ewing, NJ/Pennington Prep) added 11 points (4-9 FG). Freshman guard Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) provided seven rebounds and five points off the bench while senior center Alex Gregorek (Mahwah, NJ/Academy of Holy Angels) blocked five shots. Six players had four or more points for the hosts.

NJCU committed 30 or more turnovers for the sixth time this season, finishing with 30 for the contest; the Lions coughed the ball up 25 times. NJCU gave away 19 turnovers in the second half as the Lions were able to pull away.

TCNJ outscored NJCU 26-14 in the second period while shooting 55.0 percent (11-20) and shot 36.5 percent for the game (19-52) and 62.5 percent from three-point distance (5-8). NJCU made 14-of-52 overall (.269) and 2-of-13 from three-point territory (.154). The Knights attempted only two foul shots as the Lions were only whistled for eight fouls in 40 minutes.

A jumper by Garcia with 6:56 to go in the first half kept the Knights within three points, 17-14. But Tait put distance between the Lions and NJCU with back-to-back triples that made it 23-14 at 3:40, before DeTulio gave the hosts a 10-point margin with a three (26-16) with 3:02 left in the opening stanza.

TCNJ's largest lead was 30, a 52-22 margin with 3:49 left in the game before NJCU scored eight of the final 10 points to close the contest.

NJCU is back in action and plays its first home game since December 11 when it hosts William Paterson University, the #24 ranked team in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll, in an NJAC North Division game on Wednesday, January 12 at 6 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

—www.njcugothicknights.com—