New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | No. 8/9 ranked  William Paterson University built an early 23-6 lead in the first half and led the entire game, as they beat New Jersey City University, 70-42, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball game on Wednesday night at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'        
 
The Pioneers, ranked eighth nationally in the USA Today/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches' Poll and ninth by D3hoops.com, improved to 16-1 and 6-1 in the NJAC, while defeating NJCU (3-12, 0-6 NJAC) for the 19^th consecutive meeting since 2001-02. William Paterson leads the all-time series 51-9; NJCU dropped its seventh in a row.
 
For William Paterson, two-time First-Team All-NJAC selection and senior forward April Smith (Barnegat, NJ/Southern Regional) recorded her NCAA Division III leading 13^th double-double of the season, finishing with  game highs of 21 points (9-13 FG) and 14 rebounds with three blocks in 26 minutes of play.  
 
Senior guard BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, NJ/Nottingham), the 2010-11 NJAC co-Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, finished the game with nine points (3-8 FG, 2-5 3FG), five assists and two steals. With the two steals, Lucas became William Paterson's all-time career leader in steals with 280, breaking the mark of 279 set by Luci Custis from 2003-07.
 
Also for the visitors, sophomore guard Floriana Borova (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) added nine points (4-7 FG), four assists and two steals in 20 minutes while junior guard Lindsey Callander (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville) finished with seven points and four assists. Four other players scored five points.
 
In defeat, NJCU was led by MAXINE KAMINSKI (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), who finished with a team-high nine points (4-7 FG) in 25 reserve minutes while rookie guard JADE MEDLEY (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) added eight points and two steals. Junior forward KERRI CASSARELLO (Keansburg, NJ/Keansburg) had six points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
Also for NJCU, junior guard ANGELICA GLOVER (Union, NJ/Union Catholic), a starter for the NJCU women's soccer team, made her first career start for the Gothic Knight women's hoopsters and matched her career-high of six points while adding five rebounds while playing a career high 30 minutes. Freshman point guard LUISA MONTALVO (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) came off the bench to add six rebounds, four points and three steals.
 
In a first half where William Paterson led by as much as 20, the Pioneers built a 37-19 halftime advantage and cruised to a 28-point victory, which was its largest lead of the night.
 
NJCU committed 30 turnovers in the game and William Paterson converted the Gothic Knights giveaways into a 26-7 margin in points off turnovers. William Paterson also out-rebounded the Gothic Knights 47-31 and finished with a 40-20 difference in points in the paint.


NJCU is back in action on Saturday, January 21 at 5 p.m. when it hosts The College of New Jersey in NJAC action. It will be Green and Gold Day at NJCU with a pair of alumni basketball games—the women at 11 a.m. followed by the men at 1 p.m.  The Pioneers host Rutgers University-Camden that day at 1 p.m.