New Jersey City University Athletics

 

BRONX, NY…Sophomore point guard CAROLINA GARCIA (Plainfield, NJ/Franklin) drilled a winning jumper with 21 seconds remaining, and added two late free throws, as New Jersey City University, which led by 19 in the middle of the second half, survived to defeat defending CUNYAC Conference champion Lehman College, 63-60, in a non-conference game at the APEX on Monday.

 

NJCU improves to 4-9 overall and now leads the all-time series with the Lightning, 3-2. Lehman, which had won two straight and four of five coming in, falls to 9-8.

 

Lehman was attempting a second half come-from-behind win over NJCU for a second straight year, after the Lightning defeated the Knights in Jersey City last season, 57-55, outscoring NJCU 9-3 down the stretch.

 

NJCU, which converted seven three-pointers in the game, led by 19, 53-34 with 10:22 left before Lehman put together a 26-6 run to take the lead with 35.1 seconds remaining on a three-pointer by junior forward Sally Nnamani (Warwick, NJ/Warwick), before Garcia slashed to the basket for an aggressive short jumper. Garcia converted two free throws in a 1-and-1 scenario with 5.1 seconds remaining to seal it.

 

Five players scored in double figures for NJCU and were the only Knights to score. Freshman guard ANGELA FITZGERALD (Jersey City, NJ/Marist), who notched her sixth double-double of the season, scored exactly 15 points for the third game in a row (6-20 FG), added 10 rebounds (seven defensive) and had a career-high five steals in 38 minutes.

 

Junior forward ALAIA ROBINSON (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) tallied her fourth double-double of the season and hauled down at least 15 rebounds in a game for the sixth time, as the nation’s No. 5 ranked rebounder concluded with 15 boards (11 defensive), 10 points (5-11 FG), a career-best five steals, and three assists, while playing a career-high 37 minutes.

 

Sophomore guard TANIA GREENLEAF (Bordentown, NJ/Columbia) came off the bench to provide 14 points (5-12 FG) and six rebounds while senior forward VANESSA VARGAS ESPINOZA (Union City, NJ/Emerson-Union City) collected 12 points (4-9 FG), including 4-of-7 three-point shooting, with seven rebounds and five assists. Garcia had 12 points and three rebounds.

 

Nnamani finished with a double-double of 17 points (7-26 FG) and 13 rebounds, adding five steals, four assists and three blocks in 39 minutes. Junior forward Monique Sampson (Bronx, NY/Cathedral) had 12 points (5-11 FG), seven offensive rebounds and four steals. Senior center Maria Loor (Manta, Ecuador/Newtown) added nine points (4-6 FG), while senior guard Tiara Carroll (Bronx, NY/Msgr. Scanlan) chipped in eight points, four assists and four steals.

 

NJCU missed its first 12 shots of the game to fall behind early and Lehman led by eight, 18-10 with 8:16 left in the first period, before the Knights unleashed a 15-0 run over a span of 6:51 to build a 25-18 lead. Espinoza, who had nine points and three triples during the spurt, nailed back-to-back threes at the end of the run. Lehman missed 11 straight shots during the tear. NJCU led at the half, 27-23.

 

In the second half, Lehman drew within one early before NJCU outscored the Lightning 14-4 over a span of 4:22 to gain a 41-30 lead, as Espinoza and Fitzgerald each bagged threes; Fitzgerald scored seven points during the spurt.

 

A Sampson lay-up cut the lead to seven (41-34), before NJCU uncorked another huge run, a 12-0 streak over 3:28 that saw the Knights carve out their largest lead of the night (53-34) with 10:22 remaining. Greenleaf scored eight during the tear, including a pair of three-pointers.

 

Lehman slowly began chipping away at the deficit, but NJCU continued to maintain a 10-point, 59-49 margin, with 2:36 left after a Greenleaf jumper. A three by freshman forward Paulie Tuazon (New York, NY/School of the Future) with 2:19 remaining, a Nnamani lay-up with 1:20 left and two Sampson free throws with 42.4 seconds on the board allowed Lehman to close with two, 59-57. After NJCU committed its fourth turnover in less than two minutes, Nnamani, who was 1-for-6 from three-point range in the game, sank her only triple with 35.1 remaining to put Lehman in front for the first time since the 4:57 mark of the first half and completed an improbable 11-0 late spurt for the Lightning.

 

But NJCU, which had lost second half leads in four other games this season, learned from its past and collected its composure for the final moments. Garcia subbed back into the game, and on the most important shot of the night, converted the go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left for a 61-60 edge.

 

After Nnamani missed a jumper, Fitzgerald grabbed the rebound, Garcia was fouled and hit both foul shots with 5.1 left. Lehman missed its final shot of the game—a two-pointer with the club trailing by three.

 

NJCU shot 83.3 percent from the line (10-12) and 41.2 percent from three-point range (7-17), making 23-of-67 overall from the floor (.343). Lehman, which had a 40-22 margin in the paint, shot just 56.0 percent from the stripe (14-25) and 2-of-15 from deep (.133), making .319 from the field (22-69). The two schools combined for 58 turnovers.

 

The Knights (1-2 NJAC) will look to even its New Jersey Athletic Conference record when it meets Rutgers-Newark in a North Division home game on Wednesday, January 16 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.