New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Junior point guard LATRESE McNAIR (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth), the reigning NJAC Player of the Week, scored a game best 19 points and matched her career-high with 12 steals, as New Jersey City University rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Rutgers University-Camden by nine, 65-56, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

 

The Gothic Knights return to .500 overall (6-6) and improve to 2-5 in the league, while Rutgers-Camden falls to 4-10 and 0-7 in the NJAC, losing its third straight. NJCU registered 14 blocks as a team, including nine in the first half.

               

McNair scored 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting, with six steals in each half. She delivered six assists and added two blocks. She scored eight of NJCU’s final 20 points, and had four of her 12 steals in the final five minutes.

               

Sophomore center TIFFANY BOYD (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) came off the bench to notch a double-double with a career-high 13 rebounds, 10 points (5-16), five assists, and four blocks in 26 minutes. Senior forward MEGAN KABBA (Newark, NJ/Arts) added 13 points (4-7 FG), four assists and two blocks. Sophomore forward ARNESE GOODMAN (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) contributed eight points (4-7 FG) before leaving with an injury.

 

Senior center Megan Rulon (Sewell, NJ/Clearview Regional), the top scorer in the NJAC and the national leader in blocks, had 16 points (7-18 FG), 11 rebounds (eight offensive), five blocks, and four assists while playing all 40 minutes of the game. Senior guard Carmen Zimmitt (Woodstown, NJ/Woodstown) contributed 15 of her team high 18 points in the second half, shooting 7-of-17, while adding 11 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

               

Sophomore guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) finished with 11 points, eight rebounds (seven defensive), and five assists, but shot 4-of-14 and committed seven of RC’s 26 turnovers. Sophomore guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) had nine points, eight steals and five rebounds.

               

In a back and forth first half, NJCU led 17-15 at 8:57, before Camden reeled off a 10-1 run to grab a 25-18, seven point margin at 3:08, after a Jankowski layup. The Raptors led 27-22 at the half.

               

TIFFANY BOYD" src="/images/wbasket/2006/1/11/11-30-05%20Tiffany%20Boyd%202.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>The Raptors scored the first six points of the second half to pull in front by 11, 33-22, and maintained a 39-28 edge at 16:21. However the Knights, who outscored RC in the second half, 43-29, unleashed a 13-2 run, and tied the contest at 41-41 at 8:49 on consecutive layups from Boyd.

 

Baskets by Rulon and Zimmitt made it 45-41, before NJCU again evened the game at 45-45 on a McNair layup. NJCU would extend the run to 8-0. Kabba finished a fast-break with a layup at 5:56 and NJCU would not trail again. McNair swiped an inbounds pass under her own basket, and converted a layup against two Camden defenders, for a 49-45 lead at 4:50. The Raptors twice climbed within one, including 53-52 with 2:14 left, but a steal and fast-break layup by McNair with 1:23 remaining increased the lead to 59-52, before NJCU prevailed by nine.

 

NJCU shot 47.5 percent overall (29-61), including 51.4 percent in the second half (19-37). The Knights had an 18-6 margin in fast-break scoring, including 12-2 in the second half. The Knights were out-rebounded by the Raptors, 45-38 and 22-10 on the offensive glass, but NJCU received a 17-2 boost in bench scoring in the victory. Camden shot 31.4 percent overall. Neither team hit a three-pointer in the contest.

               

NJCU returns to action on Saturday, January 14 at 1 p.m. when it visits William Paterson University for an NJAC game in Wayne, NJ. Camden hosts Kean University the same afternoon.