JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior wing Dayjah Anderson produced career highs in points and rebounds on the way to her first career double-double to spark the New Jersey City University women's basketball team to its biggest non-conference win of the season—a 60-49 victory over Baruch College on January 27 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
Anderson led a transition offense that held a 23-11 differential in points off turnovers and NJCU (7-11) forced 20 giveaways to snap a three-game skid. NJCU outscored Baruch 17-10 in both the third and fourth quarters after trailing by three at halftime. Baruch, the second place team in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (6-2), fell to 12-5 overall.
NJCU had a staggering 61-43 margin in rebounding including a 32-15 difference on the offensive glass, leading to a 20-5 cushion in second-chance scoring.
Anderson scored 19 points (9-21 FG), grabbed 14 rebounds—eight on the offensive glass—and added three blocks and two steals in 31 minutes. She scored the first nine points for NJCU and nearly had a double-double in the first half, scoring 13 of NJCU's 26 points on 6-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds in a productive 14 minutes.
Senior shooting guard and captain Hannah Johnson managed collected 16 points with three steals and two blocks and freshman small forward Sarah Edmond seized 14 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, adding nine points and three steals.
Senior point guard and co-captain Aaliyah McCrae contributed seven rebounds and six points while junior guard Mya Neal grabbed nine rebounds—seven offensive—and swiped five steals.
Senior guard Sameera Ahmed (Queens, N.Y.) scored nine of her 11 points in the first half. Sophomore guard Nia Dawson (Bridgehamton, N.Y.) finished with 10 points and eight rebounds while junior forward Melinda Spahiu (Staten Island, N.Y.) had nine points and seven boards.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- NJCU jumped out to a 7-4 lead after Anderson scored off an inbounds steal from Neal. After Baruch tied it with 1:02 to go in the first period, Johnson drilled a three from the right arc with 46 seconds left in the half to give NJCU a 14-11 lead at the end of 10 minutes. Baruch missed two layups in the final seconds.
- Down 17-16, Johnson drove through traffic from the arc to the lane for a tough shot off the glass (18-17). Down one, Anderson scored on a drive to the rim off a nice feed from junior forward Ayanna Lewis and the next trip down saw Edmond go behind her back for a nifty layup and a 22-19 lead. Baruch took it back with buckets before Anderson hit a shot off the window and Neal scored in transition on a 2-on-1 breakaway from Lewis to cut the deficit to one (27-26). Spahiu scored her ninth point of the opening half on a jumper with 27 seconds left and Baruch led 29-26 at halftime.
- A key moment in the third came when NJCU picked off a pass on the Baruch baseline and after missing a layup, Edmond was there for the follow. Ahmed and Anderson traded driving layups before Johnson drilled a trey from the right arc to put NJCU back on top, 39-37. Junior forward Daniela Zirpolo (Bronx, N.Y.) tied it with a layup. After Baruch missed two foul shots, Johnson hit a jumper in the paint with 1:29 to go and blocked a shot on the next defensive stand and NJCU would not trail again. NJCU got a huge defensive stop on the final play of the quarter and led 43-39 after 30 minutes. Baruch did not score in the final 2:15 of the quarter.
- With eight minutes left, NJCU went up 45-41 after a pair of foul shots from sophomore small forward Zyearah Taylor-Gaston and with 7:12 to go, McCrae scored one of the best baskets of the season; trapped defensively in the paint, she managed to wiggle free for an underhanded scoop shot off the window and in for a 47-43 lead. With 6:24 to go, junior guard Frances Snyder (Pine Plains, N.Y.) hit a three to make it a one-point game (47-46). McCrae hit another off-balance scoop shot with 4:51 to go (49-46). With 4:02 to go, Anderson stormed down the left side of the lane for a runner off the window (51-46) and with 3:46 left, Johnson went to the line and hit one. Baruch was called for a charge on the next possession (3:25) and 18 seconds later Edmond sank two from the line and the lead expanded to eight (54-46). Edmond put the game away with 1:10 to go when she fought for an offensive rebound under the basket and went right back up for a layup to put the lead at 56-48. NJCU's final 11-point margin was its largest lead of the game.
NOTABLES:
- Third meeting. First-ever meeting in Jersey City. NJCU leads all-time series even, 2-1. Baruch won the last outing on December 5, 2016 in New York, N.Y., 88-59. NJCU took the first meeting on December 28, 1989 in New York, NY. Then-Jersey City State College won that matchup, 65-46.
- Dayjah Anderson scored in double figures for the ninth time in 15 games. She scored one more than her previous season and career high of 18 accomplished three times. Her previous rebounding high was nine, also done three times.
- Hannah Johnson has scored in double figures in 10 games this season, including the last seven.
- Sarah Edmond reached double figures in rebounding for the fifth time this year. She was one shy of matching her career high.
- Mya Neal had a season-high nine boards; her career high is 11.
UP NEXT:
- NJCU is back on the road in New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, January 29 at 6 p.m. when it visits William Paterson University at the Rec Center in Wayne, N.J. The Pioneers survived NJCU, 71-66, in the first meeting of the season in Jersey City on December 4.
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