JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The New Jersey City University women's basketball team fought off a comeback by Brooklyn College in a non-conference clash at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) on Monday night, Feb. 5. The perennial CUNYAC (City University of New York) champions pushed the Gothic Knights in the final quarter, but NJCU was able to hold off the Bulldogs for the squad's fifth consecutive victory, 62-56.
The Green and Gold (14-7) started off the game hot by going on a 12-3 run to begin the night against Brooklyn (13-8) before taking a 14-8 lead into the second. The final bucket of the first, combined with the first portion of the second saw NJCU go on a 15-2 run to go up 27-10 with 6:18 remaining in the second – senior forward Sarah Edmond (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) poured in eight of her team-best 12 points over that stretch. Heading into the half, the Gothic Knights led by 16 at 32-16.
Quarter number three was the highest scoring of the night as NJCU outscored the Bulldogs, 24-19, including 10 combined points from senior forward Dayjah Anderson (East Orange, NJ/Newark Tech) and rookie guard Na'tori Postell (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Arts & Science Charter). A 13-2 stretch in the middle of the quarter put the Gothic Knights up by a game-high 25 points at 49-25 – Postell had all of her five over that run.
The tide began to turn, however, in the fourth as Brooklyn started things off with a 14-2 run to cut it back to single digits at 58-49 with 4:39 remaining in regulation. A quick responding basket from Anderson made it an 11-point game once again and, later on, NJCU led by 10 with just 1:49 on the clock. The Bulldogs were able to cut it down to six, but did not get a shot off in a lengthy final possession as time expired.
Highlights:
- Edmond added a team-high eight rebounds, a block and a steal before her night ended early following a late second technical.
- Anderson chipped in nine points, seven boards and a couple of assists.
- Senior guard Damaris Rodriguez (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) led all players with 10 assists to go with eight points, five boards and two steals.
- Postell had eight points, as well, while sophomore guard Tahirah Kelley (Linden, N.J./Immaculate Conception) had seven points, five boards, two assists and a steal.
- Junior guard Alaisha Mumford (Jersey City, N.J./Lincoln) saw 32 minutes off the bench and scored nine points on 4-of-6 from the floor to go with five boards and an assist.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights look to shake off the late scare from the Bulldogs as they are in search of their second consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) regular-season championship. NJCU is currently in a tie with The College of New Jersey at 11-4 in conference play with three NJAC games remaining. Up next, the Green and Gold travel to sixth-place Rowan University on Wednesday night, Feb. 7, for a 5:30 p.m. meeting. The Gothic Knights are chasing first-place Stockton University (12-3), who they host on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1:00 p.m. on Senior Day.