BOX SCORE
WAYNE, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...Nationally #7/8 ranked William Paterson University limited New Jersey City University to its second lowest scoring total of the season and eliminated the Gothic Knights from contention in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament race as WPU defeated NJCU, 86-40, in an NJAC North Division game on Monday night at the Rec Center.
With the loss by NJCU, and Ramapo College's 63-41 win over Rutgers-Newark in Mahwah, RCNJ edges the Knights for third place in the NJAC North Division to claim the final berth into the six-team conference tournament. NJCU, which finishes the season at 7-18 overall, was 3-10 in the NJAC, losing its final three league games.
The Knights were seeking their first conference tournament berth since the 1988-89 season. Ramapo, which qualified for the tournament for the first time since the 1992-93 campaign with its win, was 4-9 in the NJAC standings.
Had Newark defeated Ramapo, there would have been a three-way tie for the final playoff berth, which would have resulted in a series of play-in games. NJCU would have hosted Newark on February 18 with Ramapo meeting the winner the following night.
WPU, ranked tied for No. 7 nationally by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and No. 8 by D3hoops.com, won its 10th consecutive game and finished the regular season with a 24-1 record and 12-1 in the NJAC. The Pioneers lead the all-time series, 48-9 and have won the last 16 meetings since the 2001-02 season.
Freshman point guard LATIFAH JOHNSON (Newark, NJ/University) scored more than half of NJCU's points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the second time this year, with 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 10-of-15 free throw accuracy, while adding four assists and four steals in a full 40 minutes. She was one point shy of her career best.
Junior transfer guard MIESHA COOKE (Paterson, NJ/Sports Business Academy) scored eight points. Sophomore forward EBONY CUNNINGHAM (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus), this week's NJAC Player of the Week for the second time this year, was held scoreless for the first time in 45 career games and out of double figures for only the fourth time in 23 games, as she was limited to 0-for-8 shooting in 22 minutes.
The Pioneers, the #1 seed in the NJAC North, were led by senior guard Julie Haledjian (Montvale, NJ/Pascack Hills) who collected a game-high 22 points (8-19 FG), shooting 3-of-7 from three-point distance, adding three assists. Senior forward Stephanie Summers (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) pulled down 16 rebounds (10 defensive) and eight points.
Also for WPU, sophomore guard BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham) tallied 15 points (4-12 FG; 6-8 FT) and three steals while senior guard Elisa Brown (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) added 11 points, making 3-of-6 three-pointers, with four assists. Senior guard Erin Cook (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) had 12 rebounds (nine defensive) and eight points,
WPU shot just 25-of-73 overall (.342) but was outstanding from three-point distance, making 47.4 percent on 9-of-19, and 79.4 percent from the line (27-34).
But defense is where the Pioneers won the game, limiting NJCU to 21.2 percent shooting (11-52) and 5-of-25 in the second half (.200). The Knights were 2-of-14 from three-point range.
William Paterson never trailed, jumping out to a 21-3 margin midway through the opening half as the Pioneers held the Gothic Knights to 1-for-11 shooting and four turnovers to start the contest. The Pioneers owned a 41-20 advantage by the break, led by Brown's 11 first-half points. WPU, which outrebounded NJCU, 69-29, including 30-9 on the offensive glass which resulted in a 24-3 edge in second-chance points, led by as many as 48 points with 3:03 left in the second half (84-36). Only current #2 ranked Kean University held the Knights to fewer than 40 points (31) this year.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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|
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NJCU
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WPU
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Score
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40
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86
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Half-Time Score
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20
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41
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Field Goal Percentage
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.212 (11-52)
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.342 (25-73)
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Three-Point Percentage
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.143 (2-14)
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.474 (9-19)
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Free Throw Percentage
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.593 (16-27)
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.794 (27-34)
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Rebounds (O-D-T)
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9-20-29
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30-39-69
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Assists
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5
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14
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Turnovers
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20
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16
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Blocks
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1
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2
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Steals
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10
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9
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Fouls
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24
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21
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Largest Lead
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None
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48
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Points in the Paint
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12
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17
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Points off Turnovers
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16
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24
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Second Chance Points
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3
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24
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Fast Break Points
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12
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13
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Bench Points
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13
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22
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