DAY 2 BRACKET
FINAL WIN/LOSS TOTALS
MIDLOTHIAN, VA (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The No. 8 ranked New Jersey City University women's bowling team dropped a pair of best 4-of-7 series to No. 5 ranked University of Central Missouri and 13th ranked Adelphi University before bouncing back with a win over fellow Division III school Elmhurst College as the Gothic Knights placed fifth overall among 22 schools in the final standings of the two-day Jeannette Lee Invitational, hosted by St. Paul's College.
NJCU, ranked No. 8 nationally by the National Tenpin Coaches Association, completes its Fall semester competition schedule with a 36-13 record and a .735 winning percentage and winners of 27 of its last 32 matches, but is just 3-6 this season in best 4-of-7 Baker series—a championship-type format the Knights have traditionally excelled in.
NJCU, which opened the day in fourth place, was swept by Central Missouri, 4-0 (152-150, 171-134, 211-180, 205-189). The Jennies would go on to win the tournament championship.
In the second match, Adelphi edged NJCU in six games, 4-2 (243-137, 161-135, 207-170, 213-223, 192-198, 189-184). In the final contest, the Knights outlasted Elmhurst, 4-3 (178-203, 197-177, 194-159, 230-243, 195-162, 177-211, 220-161).
Central Missouri defeated Fairleigh Dickinson University in the final of the event while #10 Sacred Heart University was third and Adelphi listed fourth with NJCU rounding out the Top 5.
NJCU, which had defeated Central Missouri on December 3 in quad Baker action by 90 pins, is now 2-1 this season against the Jennies. NJCU is 7-6 against UCM since 2007. The Knights started a lineup of junior AMY BREHM (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick), freshman CATHERINE ROTOLO (Edison, NJ/Edison), sophomore lefty KELLY DAUNNO (Carteret, NJ/Carteret), junior JENNIFER DAUNNO (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) and reigning NCAA Division III National Player of the Year, senior NICOLE DREJERWSKI (Levittown, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic) before freshman NICOLE BAGINSKY (South River, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick) entered as a reserve in game four.
In the Adelphi match, the Panthers rolled the highest Baker game by an opponent this season—a 243—to win game one and cruised to victories in games two and three for a 3-0 lead in the series. NJCU bounced back with a furious 223-213 win in game four, and then forced a game five, prevailing by six pins, 198-192. But in game six, the Panthers were able to hold off the NJCU comeback bid, winning by five pins, 189-184. NJCU leads the all-time series, 22-12 but Adelphi is 2-1 this season in the rivalry.
NJCU opened with a lineup of Brehm, Rotolo, Baginsky, KELLY DAUNNO and Drejerwski. Freshman ASHLEY JOHNSON (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) subbed for Rotolo in game two and JENNIFER DAUNNO entered for Brehm in game three, which stood as the lineup for the remainder of the contest.
In the final match, NJCU needed seven games but remained undefeated against all other Division III schools in the country since midway through the 2007-08 with the 4-3 victory against Elmhurst College, an up-and-coming club that received votes in the national poll. NJCU is 4-0 all-time against the Blue Jays.
After losing the opening game, NJCU bounced back with wins of 197-177 and 194-159 for a 2-1 lead in the match. In a high-scoring slugfest in game four, the two schools combined for 473 pins before Elmhurst tied the series with a 243-230 win—matching the highest Baker score against the Knights this season. NJCU gained a 3-2 lead in the match with a 195-162 decision before the Blue Jays against tied it, winning game six, 211-177. As the higher seed, NJCU had choice of lane in game seven and took advantage, routing their Division III cohorts by a decisive 59 pins, winning 220-161.
FRANK PARISI, the five-time Division III National Coach of the Year, was clearly pleased with his team's 36-13 first half record this season.
“I'm pleased with the performance. Winning 36 of your first 49 matches is a very good record and a good start to the season. We have a tough schedule so it shows we're capable of competing against anyone in the country—again. The freshmen are coming along nicely and the team is together. There's good camaraderie, good chemistry, and we're looking forward to the spring part of the schedule.”
NJCU will be inactive for 54 days over the holiday and semester break during which a new national poll is expected to be released. NJCU returns to the lanes on January 28, 2011 when it competes in the Kutztown Invitational in Reading, PA.
Parisi does not think the 54-day break will hurt the club, which has been bowling its best in the last month. “We've never had a break this long but it doesn't concern me at all. It's a well-deserved rest for everyone. The players can concentrate on their finals [exams] and family and get refocused and re-energized for the stretch run in the spring.”
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
|
BEST 4-out-of-7 PLAYOFFS
|
|
|
PINFALL
|
|
GAMES
|
AVG.
|
W/L/T
|
|
NJCU
|
150
|
134
|
180
|
189
|
|
|
|
653
|
|
0.8
|
816.25
|
L, 3-4
|
|
Central Missouri
|
152
|
171
|
211
|
205
|
|
|
|
739
|
|
0.8
|
923.75
|
|
|
NJCU
|
137
|
135
|
170
|
223
|
198
|
184
|
|
1047
|
|
1.2
|
872.5
|
W, 4-1
|
|
Adelphi
|
243
|
161
|
207
|
213
|
192
|
189
|
|
1205
|
|
1.2
|
1004.167
|
|
|
NJCU
|
178
|
197
|
194
|
230
|
195
|
177
|
220
|
1391
|
|
1.4
|
993.5714
|
L, 3-4
|
|
Elmhurst
|
203
|
177
|
159
|
243
|
162
|
211
|
161
|
1316
|
|
1.4
|
940
|
|
|
NJCU
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3091
|
|
3.4
|
909.1176
|
1-2
|
|
OPPONENTS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3260
|
|
3.4
|
958.8235
|
|
|
BAKER GAME AVERAGE
|
|
Baker Total Pinfall:
|
3091
|
|
Baker Total Games:
|
3.4
|
|
Baker Team Average:
|
909.1176471
|
|
Baker Player Average:
|
181.8235294
|
