New Jersey City University Athletics

POMONA, NJ…Senior forward VANESSA VARGAS ESPINOZA (Union City, NJ/Emerson-Union City) scored a game and season-high 25 points, but New Jersey City University could not maintain a 36-18 halftime advantage and fell in the final minute to Richard Stockton College, 58-56, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference inter-divisional game on Saturday at the Stockton Sports Center.

 

Each team entered with a three-game losing streak, but the Ospreys were able to snap theirs, improving to 9-8 and 4-3 overall. NJCU falls to 4-13 and 1-6 NJAC. Stockton has won the last 14 meetings between the clubs since 1998, and leads the series, 36-12.

 

Stockton’s reserves outscored NJCU’s bench, 14-0, and its largest lead of the game was the final two-point margin. Stockton out-rebounded NJCU 40-28, including 26-16 on defense, and shot 86.7 percent from the line (13-15).

 

NJCU, which made 8-of-10 shots to start the game, led the entire contest until Stockton tied it with 3:11 left before taking its first of only two leads with 1:04 left on a jumper by senior guard Lisa Neira (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill). Sophomore guard TANIA GREENLEAF (Bordentown, NJ/Columbia) tied the game with a jumper with 34.9 seconds left before sophomore guard Kim Herriger (Howell, NJ/Msgr. Donovan) hit a wide-open go-ahead bucket with 20 seconds remaining. NJCU could not get off a clean shot in its final attempt to tie.

 

It was the second consecutive year NJCU led Stockton in the second half only to see the Ospreys escape in the final minute. Last year, Neira hit a jumper with 3.0 seconds remaining for a 51-48 win.

 

Espinoza scored 25 on 10-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range, and added four steals and three assists in 37 minutes. Sophomore point guard CAROLINA GARCIA (Plainfield, NJ/Franklin) had 12 points (5-11 FG) and five rebounds, and junior forward ALAIA ROBINSON (Irvington, NJ/Irvington), currently ranked No. 10 in Division III in rebounding,  corralled 10 boards, with eight points and three steals while playing a full 40 minutes. It was the 12^th time this season she had at least 10 rebounds. Greenleaf tallied nine points and three assists.

 

NJCU was playing their fourth straight game without their leading scorer, freshman guard ANGELA FITZGERALD (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) (15.5 points per game), and its third without starting senior power forward NATASHIA CLACKLEY (Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch).

 

Stockton freshman forward Kristin Sciarrillo (Edison, NJ/Edison) had a double-double of 14 points (5-8 FG), with 11 rebounds (seven defensive) and three steals, while Neira had 14 points (5-11 FG) and six rebounds.

 

RSC received 11 points (3-6 FG; 5-6 FT) by junior forward Jenn Russell (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood). Junior forward Kelley Guarrera (Shamong, NJ/Shawnee) grabbed 11 rebounds (nine defensive), adding eight points and four assists.

 

In a battle of two halves, NJCU shot 46.9 percent in the opening period (15-32) versus .308 for Stockton (8-26), while the Ospreys made 53.8 percent in the second half (14-26), with the Knights good on just 7-of-25 (.280).

 

NJCU jumped ahead early 19-8 in the first 6:09, behind the play of Espinoza, who scored 11 during that tear, including three three-pointers. A three by Greenleaf, an Espinoza jumper and Greenleaf lay-up made it a 14-point margin (26-12) with 9:26 to go. Espinoza made it 34-16 with 3:00 left and Garcia’s bucket with 18 seconds to go in the period sent the Knights to the break leading 36-18.

 

However, NJCU relinquished a second half lead for the seventh time this season, which has led to six of the club’s 13 losses. NJCU led 40-22 with 17:43 left, before Stockton scored 15 of the next 19 points to close within 44-37 with 12:01 left as Sciarrillo and Neira combined for 10 points during the 5:42 spurt.

 

Stockton extended the run to 25-7 and tied it at 47-47 with 5:58 remaining as Sciarrillo hit two foul shots. In all, NJCU shot just 3-of-18 from the start of the second half until the game was tied for the first time.

 

Espinoza had a fast-break jumper off a Robinson steal to regain the lead with 5:12 left, and a Greenleaf steal led to a transition lay-up by Garcia with 3:46 on the board, as NJCU held a 51-47 lead.

 

Neira made two free throws and a turnover led to a Russell lay-up with 3:11 remaining as Stockton tied it at 51-51. Robinson hit a short jumper as the Knights reclaimed a 53-51 edge, but Russell sank two foul shots for a fourth tie, 53-53, with 2:32 left.

 

The clubs were knotted at 54-54 with 1:30 left after each team made 1-of-2 foul shots, including one by Russell. However, when she missed the back-end, Sciarrillo grabbed a rebound and after a timeout, Neira buried a jumper with 1:04 left, and the Ospreys had their first lead of the game, 56-54. Greenleaf tied it at 56-56 before Herringer’s go-ahead jumper. Garcia was the only NJCU player to get off a shot on the final possession.

 

NJCU returns to action on Monday, January 28 when it visits New York City College of Technology in a non-conference game in Brooklyn, NY at 5 p.m.