Also for NJCU, freshman forward LINDIA FISCHER (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) hauled in 11 rebounds, giving her double figures in caroms in four of her last five games and 57 boards during that span. The Gothic Knights were also sparked by freshman point guard LATIFAH JOHNSON (Newark, NJ/University), this week's NJAC Rookie of the Week, who had nine points, five steals and three impressive assists. No other player on the team had more than six points. Freshman forward MAXINE KAMINSKI (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had seven rebounds.
For Newark, junior guard Martyna Ruminska (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had 17 points, shooting 6-of-12 overall and 4-of-9 from three-point distance, adding six rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Jared Tactuk (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) collected nine points in a full 40 minutes, scoring five during an 11-0 run that capped Newark's win at the end.
Early on, Newark gained control, taking a 7-0 lead over the Gothic Knights in the first three minutes. NJCU's defensive pressure eventually kicked in, forcing Rutgers-Newark to turn over the basketball 20 times in the first half, compared to only five by the Knights. NJCU snagged 13 steals in the first half, while the Scarlet Raiders were unable to grab any.
NJCU uncorked a 14-1 run to gain a 14-8 lead with 11:32 left in the first half, with Cunningham scoring eight of the 14, including seven straight. Junior guard KAMESHA ALEXANDER (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick) had a pair of field goals to increase NJCU's lead to nine, 24-15, with 4:04 to go. A jumper by freshman forward DELIA CHERNEZ (Union City, NJ/Union City) put NJCU ahead by eight before Ruminska scored to send the game to the intermission with the hosts leading by six, 30-24.
Out of the break, Cunningham scored NJCU's first 11 points in the opening 3:15 of the second half. Her triple with 18:41 left made it 35-27 and she extended the lead to 10, 37-27 with a layup off a steal. After two foul shots gave NJCU its first 12-point lead (39-27), she hit a jumper with 16:45 remaining.
But once Cunningham stopped scoring, so did the Knights. NJCU shot 28.6 percent for the game (20-70) and 1-of-16 from three-point range (.063). The Raiders countered with 45.5 percent shooting (20-44).
NJCU continued to lead, 44-32 with 15:28 left before the Raiders scored eight of the next nine points, to whittle the deficit to five, 45-40. Vacca scored six straight during the run.
Still, with 11:54 remaining in the game, NJCU held a decisive 28-9 advantage in turnovers forced. From that point, Newark would cough up just five more turnovers the remainder of the night, while the Knights' total nearly doubled, giving up 11 possessions.
A three by Ruminska cut it to four with 11:17 left and Vacca scored the first points for either side in a three-minute stretch, before making a free throw with 7:43 left, as the NJCU lead dwindled to one (47-46). Johnson had a steal and fast-break layup with 6:25 left to push the lead to three (49-46), but from there, NJCU missed its next six field goal opportunities before finally scoring with 10 seconds remaining to account for the last points. The Knights would also shoot 1-of-4 from the line and commit six turnovers during the decisive stretch of the game.
Meanwhile, after a foul shot by Johnson with 4:38 remaining, Newark unleashed an 11-0 run to win the game. Vacca eventually tied the game at 50-50 with 3:41 left on a layup and Tactuk sank a jumper to give Newark its first lead since early in the first half with 3:13 on the board. Ruminska added a layup and Tactuk made two foul shots for a 57-50 edge with 53 seconds left before a pair of free throws extended the margin to 59-50—the largest lead the visitors had during the event.
Both teams return to action on Saturday, January 9 with NJAC games. NJCU will host The College of New Jersey at 2 p.m. while the Raiders entertain Rowan University at the Golden Dome in Newark, NJ at 6 p.m.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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|
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NJCU
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Rutgers-Newark
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Score
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52
|
59
|
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Half-Time Score
|
30
|
24
|
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Field Goal Percentage
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.286 (20-70)
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.455 (20-44)
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|
Three-Point Percentage
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.063 (1-16)
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.333 (5-15)
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|
Free Throw Percentage
|
.688 (11-16)
|
.560 (14-25)
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|
Rebounds (O-D-T)
|
19-21-40
|
10-33-43
|
|
Assists
|
5
|
10
|
|
Turnovers
|
20
|
33
|
|
Blocks
|
0
|
5
|
|
Steals
|
23
|
5
|
|
Fouls
|
21
|
13
|
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Largest Lead
|
12
|
9
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
36
|
22
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
25
|
18
|
|
Second Chance Points
|
13
|
7
|
|
Fast Break Points
|
10
|
4
|
|
Bench Points
|
12
|
4
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