NEWARK, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | With 3.4 seconds on the clock, trailing by one, New Jersey City University senior point guard Aaliyah McCrae stepped to the free throw line with a lot on her shoulders.
On the line—no pun intended—was the chance to give her team not just their first New Jersey Athletic Conference win of the 2019-20 season, but also their first road NJAC win since December 10, 2014 and their first win over reigning NJAC champion, Rutgers-Newark, since February 6, 2010.
Prior to the shots, NJCU had been just 2-of-10 from the foul line on the night. That didn't faze the senior transfer who calmly drilled the first—nothing but net. The second one bounced around the rim but found its way through, giving the Gothic Knights a lead they would hold after junior forward Ayanna Lewis contested the Scarlet Raiders' final shot at the buzzer and secured the 51-50 NJCU victory at the Golden Dome Athletic Center on December 14.
By the end of the game, NJCU (3-6, 1-5 NJAC) were without three of their top six regulars—all lost due to injury in the last week—but that didn't prevent them from playing some of their best defense of the season, holding Rutgers-Newark (1-8, 0-5 NJAC) to just five points the entire fourth quarter en route to victory.
Lewis led the way for the Knights with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double—her first in an NJCU uniform—with three blocks that don't even include her alteration of the final shot of the game from senior center Comfort Akinbo (Woodbridge, N.J).
Senior guard Hannah Johnson also stepped up with her best game in nearly a month, scoring 11, pulling down eight rebounds, and hounding her way into three steals. Sophomore wing Zyearah Taylor-Gaston scored 11 off the bench, on 5-of-9 shooting.
Senior swing Hannah Ashby (Teaneck, N.J.) led the way for the Scarlet Raiders, playing all 40 minutes and scoring a game-high 17 points with three steals and two assists. Freshman guard Samiyah Horton (Newark, N.J.) chipped in 10 points and eight boards off the bench.
NJCU outrebounded Newark on the offensive glass, 15-7, and held an 18-5 advantage in second chance scoring. NJCU turned 20 Raider giveaways into a 16-4 margin in points off turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Knights were without a pair of regulars, as Jasmine Reese (6.8 points, 7.1 rebounds per game) and Dayjah Anderson (7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds per game) were both out to injury, with McCrae taking a spot in the starting lineup.
- NJCU got on the board first, with a Lewis jumper opening the scoring at the 9:08 mark.
- That edge grew to 7-2 thanks to an Alexandria Sams three-pointer and a Taylor-Gaston lay-in, but Newark went on a run of their own to end the quarter, leaving things all tied up at 11-11 at the end of the first quarter.
- The two teams traded baskets to start the second quarter, but the Knights went on a run mid-quarter, with a Lewis lay-up extending the NJCU advantage to seven (27-20) at the 3:15 mark. The Raiders were able to cut the margin down to three by the break, however, at 31-28.
- The Knights lost yet another starter in the third quarter, as the team's leading rebounder on the season, Sarah Edmond, was forced out at the 8:07 mark, just moments after Newark took their first lead of the game.
- A big three from Taylor-Gaston gave the Knights back the lead at 35-34, but it was the Raiders who held the lead for the majority of the third, taking a 45-42 edge into the final frame.
- McCrae got things going for the Knights in the fourth, scoring the first basket of the quarter to get the Knights to within one, 45-44. The Knights continued to challenge the Newark lead, but they couldn't get over the hump until the game's final moments.
- At the 2:19 mark, Lewis made the score 50-49 in favor of Newark, but neither team would score for the next two minutes, as both defenses locked in for the stretch run.
- Then, with less than 10 seconds to go, trailing by one, McCrae drove to the basket, drawing contact and going to the line for her aforementioned pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds left, making both to give NJCU the 51-50 lead.
- The Raiders called timeout, moving the ball to midcourt, and got Akinbo a good look, but it was solid defense from Lewis that preserved the win, as the shot rolled off and Lewis collected the board securing the victory for NJCU.
NOTABLES:
- Series: 76th meeting. Newark now leads 54-22, with this NJCU victory snapping an 18-game series winning streak for the Raiders.
- The 12 rebounds for Lewis were an NJCU career-high. She has three double-figure scoring and two double-digit rebounding efforts for NJCU.
UP NEXT:
- The Knights will have less than 24 hours to celebrate their victory, as they head to Madison, N.J. to face off with Drew University (5-2) on Sunday, December 15 at 1:00 p.m. in non-conference action.
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