JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Preseason New Jersey Athletic Conference favorite The College of New Jersey shot 53.3 percent in the opening quarter, limiting the short-handed New Jersey City University women's basketball team to just 2-of-17 in the period and the Gothic Knights could never recover, dropping a 61-38 NJAC contest on January 8 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
TCNJ improves to 8-5 overall and 5-1 in the NJAC, dropping the Knights to 3-8 (1-5 NJAC). NJCU shot just 1-of-12 to open the game, fell behind 14-3, and TCNJ led 20-7 after the first quarter.
The story was much the same in the second quarter, and as such, the Lions led 36-11 at the half, thanks to shooting 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) combined with the Knights connecting on just 4-of-37 (10.8 percent)—0-for-7 from three-point range—in the first half. NJCU was outscored 16-4 in the second quarter.
NJCU came out as a more aggressive team after the break, outscoring the Lions in the second half, 27-25. They used a 7-0 run early in the third to get the lead down to 21, but they couldn't get closer than until late in the fourth when they used another run (8-0) to get within 20, but it was too little, too late.
Junior wing Dayjah Anderson scored in double figures for the fourth time in her last five games for the Knights, producing a game-high 18 points off the bench (7-21 FG), with eight rebounds. Freshman small forward Sarah Edmond had a strong defensive effort with nine rebounds and seven steals.
For the lions, senior forward Jen Byrne (Medford, N.J.) and sophomore wing Rachel Gazzola (Howell, N.J.) tied for the team lead with 13 points apiece, with Byrne adding eight rebounds, two assists and two steals to her stat sheet. Freshman forward Morgan Heller (Andover, N.J.) chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, as the Lions used a balanced approach to claim their eighth win of the season.
NOTABLES:
- Series: 65th meeting, TCNJ leads 62-3 and has won the last 22 meetings.
UP NEXT:
- The Knights head on the road, while staying in conference, as they travel to Galloway, N.J. on Saturday, January 11 to square off with Stockton University (5-7, 1-5 NJAC) in a game that the Knights will need to claim to keep hopes for a potential NJAC postseason berth alive. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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