New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University limited Vaughn College to 13.2 percent shooting and the second lowest scoring output in known program history as 11 of the 12 Gothic Knights who saw action scored in a 56-12 non-conference rout on Saturday afternoon on “Coach Charlie Brown Court” at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. NJCU out-rebounded the Warriors by a plus-43 margin, 65-22 and had an incredible 34-2 margin in offensive caroms.
 
NJCU (3-5) won its third straight game despite shooting just 33.3 percent itself (25-75) and 7-for-29 in the second half (.241). But NJCU outscored Vaughn (0-5), 32-2 in the paint, 22-2 off 19 turnovers and 19-2 on second chance opportunities, while its bench owned a 25-0 points advantage. The Knights gained a rebound on 34 of their 50 missed shots.
 
Incredibly, NJCU did not commit a foul in the entire first half, only had three in the entire game, and was not whistled until the 12:24 mark of the second half.
 
The 12 points scored by Vaughn are the second fewest on record by an opponent in school history. On December 16, 1992, NJCU defeated Medgar Evers, 91-11; then Jersey City State also defeated FDU, 51-11, in 1970-71. Today's win also marked the seventh time in known school history that NJCU held an opponent below 20 points; the last time was a 96-15 decision over City College of New York on November 19, 1999.
 
The six first-half points were the fewest ever scored by an opponent in the first half of a known game; Medgar scored four points in the second half of the game in 1992.
 
“I think in today's game we saw a lot of great things from different players,” said first-year head coach AMY MULLIGAN, who came to NJCU in the spring from Vaughn, where she had served as head men's basketball coach and athletic director. “Each player contributed and for a team and coach that is something you want to see. It feels great to get on a winning streak.”
 
Sophomore forward ALNISA HERNAIZ (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) notched her second double-double of the season  and fifth of her career with 10 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 5-for-11.
 
Rookie point guard LUISA MONTALVO (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) also shot 5-for-11 and finished with as many points individually (12) as the entire opposing squad.
 
Sophomore center OLIVIA OBANYE (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds off the bench and junior forward KERRI CASSARELLO (Keansburg, NJ/Keansburg), making her first start since November 19, had six rebounds and three blocks in 16 minutes. Junior guard ANGELICA GLOVER (Union, NJ/Union Catholic) came off the bench to contribute career highs of seven rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes of play.
 
Senior guard Steffi Soler (Jackson Heights, NY) and sophomore forward Diana Morraz (New York, NY) combined for 11 of Vaughn's 12 points.
 
“Our communication, teamwork and chemistry together have been building and we're talking more,” noted Hernaiz about the current three-game win streak. “We know each other's strength and weakness better now and our defense has been improving.”
 
In the first half, NJCU jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back. Ahead 14-4 with 14:10 left, NJCU unleashed a 20-0 run to build a 32-4 lead on a jumper by Glover with 2:56 left in the period before taking a 40-6 halftime lead.  During the first half, NJCU outscored Vaughn 26-0 in the paint and the Gothic Knights' bench outscored the Warriors 16-0.
 
NJCU had a quiet second half with its reserves playing extended minutes, outscoring Vaughn 16-6 in the period while routinely utilizing most of the 30-second shot clock. NJCU's largest lead was the 44-point final margin. Vaughn shot 5-for-38 in the game.
 
NJCU will look to extend its streak when it plays the final game of the 2011 portion of the schedule on Thursday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m. against Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY.
 
“We gotta keep the momentum going,” said Montalvo. “We like winning and we're working harder every day. Winning and working hard for it gives us a better mindset coming into games.”