SCORESHEET
WALLINGFORD, CT (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | On the second day of February's Northeast Conference meet, New Jersey City University met three of the top eight ranked teams in the country and despite going 2-2, maintained a share of first place in the conference, thanks to its third win over archrival and #2 ranked Fairleigh Dickinson University in five meetings this season, as the No. 9 Gothic Knights wrapped up competition at the two-day NEC Meet, hosted by Sacred Heart University at Colony Lanes.
NJCU improved to 52-21 on the season (.712) and 14-4 in the conference (.778), and is 26-6 (.813) in two seasons as an associate member of the Division I Northeast Conference.
NJCU entered the day with a one-game lead over FDU for sole possession of first place in the conference and two games better than #7 Kutztown University and #8 Sacred Heart, but dropped matches to KU and SHU on the day.
NJCU is now in a four-way tie for first place in the conference with FDU, Kutztown and Sacred Heart with one regular season meet remaining (March 5-6 in Howell, NJ) leading up to the conference tournament, March 25-27. Kutztown and Sacred Heart each went 4-0 on the second day of the meet and FDU finished 3-1. The top eight teams in the 10-team conference qualify for the double-elimination NEC championship field. NJCU was the 2009-10 regular season champion and No. 1 seed in the NEC tournament.
NJCU opened Sunday's action by extending its conference winning streak to 11 straight, holding off FDU, the defending NCAA champions, 1160-1147. In the second match, Sacred Heart jumped out to a big lead early and held off NJCU, 1190-1125.
In the third match, NJCU routed Saint Francis University (Pa.) by 195 pins, prevailing 1182-988. In the final match, Kutztown outlasted the Knights, 1182-1148.
NJCU, which went 5-0 on the opening day of the weekend conference event, finished 7-2 at the NEC meet with a total pin count of 10,403 in nine six-Baker total pinfall games.
“We stayed consistent throughout the entire day, but there were just a couple of key moments in matches where we fell too far behind early, including against Sacred Heart,” noted reigning NEC Coach of the Year FRANK PARISI, in his 11th year as head coach. “By the time we started rolling well again it was too late—there was not enough time to catch up. In the final match, Kutztown just bowled better .The whole weekend we were consistent. We stayed with our game plan. A 7-2 record in this conference is pretty good.”
For the second straight day, NJCU maintained the same starting Baker lineup throughout the event, with junior AMY BREHM (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) leading off, followed by freshman NICOLE BAGINSKY (South River, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick) in the No. 2 position and sophomore KELLY DAUNNO (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) in the bridge role. NJCU's two returning First-Team All-NEC selections from last season completed the rotation as junior JENNIFER DAUNNO (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) setup for senior NICOLE DREJERWSKI (Levittown, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic), the reigning NCAA Division III National Player of the Year, in the anchor spot.
In the opening match, NJCU improved to 2-0 versus No. 2 FDU during league play this season and won for the third time this season by winning four of the six games bowled in the Baker match. NJCU posted scores of 204-189-182-224-163-198. FDU countered with games of 187-183-191-212-183-191. NJCU led 799-773 after game four before the FDU Knights cut the deficit to six pins heading into the final game after taking game five by 20 pins, 183-163. But NJCU edged FDU by seven in the final game, 198-191, to claim the match, 1160-1147.
A key moment in the match came in the eighth frame of game five. After KELLY DAUNNO, a lefty, washed out, Parisi and ninth-year assistant coach RUSTY THOMSEN made a crucial sub with rookie right-hander CATHERINE ROTOLO (Edison, NJ/Edison), who converted the spare, taking the one-seven pin combo.
“We don't concern ourselves with who we're playing,” Parisi said about the FDU win. “That's been the formula for success for us. It's up to the other teams to perform as well [as we do]. We worry about ourselves and that's why we are consistent. Yes, it's nice to defeat the better teams, but we control what we do.”
NJCU's 11-game conference winning streak was derailed in game one against Sacred Heart as the Pioneers rolled a 224 and the Knights faltered with a 129 for a 95-pin deficit which increased to 137 pins after SHU won game two, 213-171. NJCU tried to battle back into the match, winning the third game by 23 (196-173) before posting its highest score of the day in a 236-198 win to pull within 76. The Knights took game five by 25, 205-180. But entering the final game, NJCU still trailed by 51 pins and SHU clinched the match, 1190-1125, with a 202-188 victory in game six. The Pioneers lead the season series, 4-1.
In the third match, NJCU improved to 3-0 all-time against first-year Saint Francis (Pa), winning convincingly, 1183-988. NJCU posted its highest match score of the day with a six-game pinfall of 207-224-174-181-210-187. The Red Flash posted scores of 165-150-175-175-164-159.
In the final match, three of the six games were decided by one pin and four games by five or fewer pins. But after winning game one 199-190, the Golden Bears took game two by 34, 196-162, for a 43-pin lead and despite winning the final three games, the Knights couldn't overcome the early deficit. NJCU's six-game results were 190-162-211-197-205-183; Kutztown rolled a block of 199-196-212-192-201-182, to win the match, 1182-1148. Kutztown, who is likely to compete with NJCU for a potential NCAA tournament bid, leads the season series, 3-1. NJCU still leads the all-time series, 14-12.
NJCU will return to action at the three-day Capital Classic, hosted by Delaware State University in Dover, DE, beginning on Friday, February 11.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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|
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NEC MEET #2: Day 2
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OVERALL
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NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
|
|
PLACE
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SCHOOL
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WON
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LOST
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WON
|
LOST
|
PCT.
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WON
|
LOST
|
PCT.
|
|
1t
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New Jersey City University
|
2
|
2
|
52
|
21
|
0.712
|
14
|
4
|
0.778
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|
1t
|
Fairleigh Dickinson University
|
3
|
1
|
60
|
13
|
0.822
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14
|
4
|
0.778
|
|
1t.
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Kutztown University
|
4
|
0
|
60
|
20
|
0.75
|
14
|
4
|
0.778
|
|
1t.
|
Sacred Heart University
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4
|
0
|
52
|
21
|
0.712
|
14
|
4
|
0.778
|
|
5
|
St. Francis College (NY)
|
1
|
3
|
50
|
31
|
0.617
|
10
|
8
|
0.556
|
|
6
|
Adelphi University
|
2
|
2
|
50
|
33
|
0.602
|
8
|
10
|
0.444
|
|
7t.
|
Saint Peter's College
|
1
|
3
|
32
|
30
|
0.516
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5
|
13
|
0.278
|
|
7t.
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Monmouth University
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1
|
3
|
31
|
42
|
0.425
|
5
|
13
|
0.278
|
|
9
|
Long Island University
|
2
|
2
|
28
|
37
|
0.431
|
4
|
14
|
0.222
|
|
10
|
Saint Francis University (Pa.)
|
0
|
4
|
30
|
40
|
0.429
|
2
|
16
|
0.111
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