New Jersey City University Athletics

EWING, NJ…New Jersey City University got off to a sluggish start before battling back in the second half, but The College of New Jersey, the defending New Jersey Athletic Conference champions, held off the Gothic Knights second-half onslaught, to prevail 57-50, in the NJAC opener for both schools at Packer Hall.

 

TCNJ (4-2, 1-0 NJAC) wins for the third time in four outings, while NJCU falls to 2-3 and 0-1. NJCU opened the game shooting 1-of-17 from the field and did not score its first points of the game until the 12:59 mark of the first half, but outscored the Lions in the second period, 37-29, to make the second half close.

 

In defeat, senior point guard LATRESE McNAIR (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) scored 15 of her game-high 17 points (5-13 FG) in the second half. She added six steals, to help spark NJCU to a 10-4 edge in fast-break scoring.

 

TCNJ sophomore center Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) paced the Lions with a career-high 14 points and a double-double with 10 rebounds, and two blocks.

 

For NJCU, only four players scored as the Lions bench owned a 20-8 scoring advantage. In addition to McNair, junior forward TIFFANY BOYD (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) collected 13 points (6-16 FG), eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in 37 minutes, while junior forward ARNESE GOODMAN (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) contributed 12 points (5-14 FG), nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Sophomore center KELLY WILSON (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson County Prep) chipped in eight points, eight rebounds, and four steals.

 

The Lions received nine rebounds and seven points (3-12 FG) from junior forward Sara Best (High Bridge, NJ/Voorhees), who tallied all of her scoring and eight rebounds in the first period as TCNJ took a 28-13 lead into the break. Senior guard Margo Buchalski (Ventnor, NJ/Cherry Hill East) finished with eight points.

 

In a first period in which each team had trouble shooting, NJCU shot just 6-of-31 for 19.4 percent, while TCNJ wasn’t much better at 11-of-31 (.35.5%). Each team went 0-for-5 from three-point range in the half. The Lions had a 48-38 rebounding margin overall.

 

The Lions scored the first nine points of the game, and led by as many as 16 points at 25-9 with 1:57 left in the half.

 

The Lions expanded that lead to 19 points with 14:13 remaining in the second half, for a 39-20 edge after a Buchalski three. However, the resilient Gothic Knights clawed back with a 20-4 run in a span of 7:40, cutting the deficit to just three points, 43-40, at 6:33. McNair scored 11 points during the spurt, including back-to-back fast-break buckets, and a trey. She made three of four free throws during the stretch to pull within 43-40.

 

The Lions began to pull away with a 12-0 run of their own, moving in front 55-40 with 2:57 left after a three-pointer by senior forward Megan Hueter (Haddon Heights, NJ/Haddon Heights) at 3:44, and a pair of free throws by freshman center Alexandra Gregorek (Mahwah, NJ/Academy of Holy Angels).

The TCNJ margin stood at 16 (57-41) with 2:18 left. The Knights scored the final nine points of the game, but ran out of clock in their attempt to rally a second time.

 

NJCU will return to action on Wednesday, December 6 at 5:30 p.m. in an NJAC game against Rutgers-Newark at the Golden Dome.