WEEK of: DECEMBER 15-21, 2008
Junior guard
CAROLINA GARCIA (Plainfield, NJ/ Franklin) is the NJCU Women's Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career after she enjoyed the best week of her career, including a career-best 30 points in a win over California Institute of Technology. She averaged 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. She shot 25-of-60 from the field (.417), .364 from three-point territory (4-11) and .615 from the line (8-13). In three games in a 1-2 week she compiled 62 points while averaging 37.3 minutes per game.
In a 60-52 win at Cal Tech in the second round of the 2008 Caltech-Claremont Holiday Classic in Pasadena, CA on December 21, she rocketed her way to a career and team season-high 30 points and scored 10 of NJCU’s final 18 points in the second half as NJCU rallied from two deficits.
Garcia easily established a new career scoring high with 30 points on 11-of-26 shooting and 2-of-4 from three-point range, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing four assists in a full 40 minutes. She crushed her previous season and career best of 21 points on November 23 against Stevens Institute of Technology. She became the first NJCU player to score 30 since current assistant coach Latrese McNair tallied 31 against Ramapo College on January 24, 2007.
In the win over Caltech, NJCU never trailed in the first half and pulled in front by double figures when Garcia had a layup with 3:52 remaining for a 30-18 lead. Garcia hit a jumper with 1:46 left in the period for a 14-point cushion, 34-20, and led 38-25 at the half. Caltech went on a 19-2 run over a span of 10:21 before Garcia finally ended the drought with a jumper at 8:36 to tie it at 44-44 and put NJCU in front with two free throws. After NJCU again came from behind, Garcia provided the eventual winning margin when she drilled a three with 1:08 left for a 57-50 advantage and sank 3-of-4 free throws in the final 44 seconds to seal it with a 60-50 lead.
The 30-point performance was only the second by a New Jersey Athletic Conference player this season.
In the opening game of the tournament on December 20, Garcia scored a game-high 14 points in a 54-34 loss to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. Garcia came off the bench for the first time this season to lead all players with 14 points (6-17 FG), making 2-of-5 from three-point range, with five rebounds. No other player for NJCU scored more than five points. Garcia kept NJCU close in the first half with a jumper with 4:30 remaining, making it 14-11 before CMS prevailed.
In a loss at Farmingdale State College on December 16, she posted a team-best 18 points (8-17 FG) with three assists while playing a full 40 minutes. A Garcia jumper kept NJCU within 12, 47-35 and Garcia converted a free throw for a 50-38 deficit before the Rams pulled away.
For the season, Garcia is averaging 15.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting .370 from the field (60-162), .367 from three-point distance (11-30) and .647 from the line (22-34). She has 153 points in 10 games (enine starts) and needs just 37 more to equal her single-season high of 190 points last year when she averaged 8.3 per game.
Among the NJAC leaders she ranks second in minutes played (352) and minutes per game (35.20), tied for fifth in three-point percentage, sixth in scoring average, seventh in assists, seventh in assist/turnover ratio (0.67), 13th in three-pointers made per game (1.10), and is tied for 15th in steals.
