New Jersey City University Athletics

 

CAMDEN, NJ…New Jersey City University freshman guard ANGELA FITZGERALD (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) scored 17 points, and senior forward VANESSA VARGAS ESPINOZA (Union City, NJ/Emerson-Union City) added 15, as the Gothic Knights led by 14 at the half and overcame a second half comeback by Rutgers University-Camden, to defeat the Raptors, 58-55, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference interdivisional game on Saturday.

 

NJCU (8-14, 3-7 NJAC) wins its second straight NJAC contest and for the fourth time in its last five games overall. Camden drops to 7-15 and 1-9 NJAC, losing for the fourth time in five games. Camden, which had won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the schools, leads the all-time series, 27-18.

 

NJCU, which shot 58.6 percent from the field (17-29) in the first period, and 4-of-7 from three-point range (.571), led at halftime, 38-24. Fitzgerald and Espinoza combined for 22 of NJCU’s 38 first half points and nearly outscored the Raptors between them.

 

However, the Knights won despite not scoring a field goal in the final 7:33 of the game while committing 27 total turnovers—17 in the second half.

 

Fitzgerald had 10 of her 17 in the first half, shooting 7-of-15 and 2-of-4 from three-point range. She was one of three NJCU players with eight rebounds, adding four assists and three steals. Espinoza scored 12 of her 15 points in the opening period. She shot 6-of-11 overall (2-4 3FG) with eight rebounds and three assists. Espinoza has 962 career points with three games remaining.

 

Also for NJCU, junior forward ALAIA ROBINSON (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) contributed eight points and eight rebounds, and sophomore guard TANIA GREENLEAF (Bordentown, NJ/Columbia) chipped in nine points.

 

Camden freshman Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) matched Fitzgerald with a game-best 17 points (4-12 FG), highlighted by 8-of-8 free throw shooting, with six rebounds in 39 minutes. Senior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) had nine steals, seven rebounds and five points, despite committing eight of Camden’s 20 giveaways.

 

Also for the Raptors, senior swing Carmen Oyola (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) had nine points (4-6 FG). Senior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) finished with eight rebounds and four assists.

 

NJCU only trailed on the opening possession of the game, which was tied 13-13, with 10:22 left. A three by Fitzgerald and two triples by Espinoza made it 26-17 NJCU, and back-to-back Robinson lay-ups gave NJCU a 10-point cushion (30-20). Baskets by Robinson and Greenleaf gave the Knights their largest lead of the game—a 38-22, 16-point cushion with 38 seconds left in the period.

 

NJCU continued to lead by double figures, 48-36, with 14:15 left, before RC began chipping away at the lead. Two free throws by Hafiz capped a 7-0 run to draw within five, 48-43, with 12:12 left and a three-point play by Oyola cut the NJCU lead to four, 52-48 at 10:27.

 

From there, both schools struggled to find scoring, combining for just 13 points the rest of the game. Fitzgerald’s lay-up at 7:34 made it 56-50—the Knights’ first basket in a span of 2:40, and the last field goal NJCU would convert. NJCU would miss the final five shots of the game, while committing six turnovers. Camden, which only had two field goals over 3:51, had a jumper by senior guard Amber Parker (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) at 6:39 (56-52).

 

The Raptors cut the deficit to as few as two points, 56-54, on a jumper by freshman guard Sarah Gorbe (Riverside, NJ/Riverside), with 4:26 left, but Camden would not make another field goal, missing their final four chances, with four turnovers. Fitzgerald made the front end of two foul shots (57-54) with 3:01 left and Parker hit the second of two free throws at 2:17 to again draw the Raptors within two, 57-55.

 

Camden had several chances to tie it in the final 1:55, missing two shots, while committing three turnovers, including a costly giveaway by Hafiz with 21 seconds left. Espinoza hit the backend of two free throws with 7.6 seconds left, giving NJCU a 58-55 edge. After a Camden timeout, the Raptors had one final opportunity to tie but lost the ball dribbling up court.

 

NJCU returns to action on Wednesday, February 13 at 5:30 p.m. when it visits Rutgers-Newark at the Golden Dome in an NJAC North Division game.

 

Team Stat Comparison   NJCU Camden Score 58 55 Half-Time Score 38 24 Field Goal Percentage .481 (25-52) .357 (20-56) Three-Point Percentage .385 (5-13) .222 (2-9) Free Throw Percentage .333 (3-9) .684 (13-19) Rebounds (O-D-T) 14-23-37 16-17-33 Assists 14 10 Turnovers 27 20 Blocks 2 0 Steals 8 15 Fouls 15 14 Largest Lead 16 3 Points in the Paint 26 16 Points off Turnovers 16 25 Second Change Points 3 13 Fast Break Points Not Tracked Bench Points 11 13