New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

NEW YORK, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University and Lehman College were mired in a two-point game at halftime before the Lightning opened the second half on a 15-3 run, outscoring NJCU in the second half, 40-23, en route to a 71-52 victory over the Gothic Knights in a non-conference women's basketball game played on a neutral court at Baruch College.
 
Lehman moved above .500 with the win (11-10) while NJCU (3-17) dropped its 12^th straight game. Lehman, which outscored NJCU in the paint, 40-22, leads the series, 4-3.
 
Trailing only 31-29 at halftime, NJCU's inability to piece together consecutive successful halves of basketball loomed large in the second period as the Knights shot just 15.2 percent (5-33), allowing the Lightning to gain the advantage to take control of the contest.
 
Dominating the second half was senior guard Amanda De La Cruz (New York, NY), who compiled the rare triple-double in the win, finishing with 16 points (7-15 FG), 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in 38 minutes. She had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the second half.
 
Senior forward Leslie Mencia (Montpelier, VT) delivered a game-best 26 points and eight rebounds. She shot 10-of-26 overall but just 2-of-14 from three-point range, finishing 8-for-12 from two-point territory. Senior center Jaleesa Gordon (Queens, NY) had a double-double with 15 points (6-12 FG), 12 rebounds and six blocks.
 
Freshman guard LUISA MONTALVO (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) was NJCU's top scorer, tallying all 11 of her points in the second half off the bench.  Junior forward MAXINE KAMINSKI (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had eight of her 10 points in the first half and shot 5-of-10. Sophomore forward ALNISA HERNAIZ (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) matched a game-high with 12 rebounds (eight defensive) and added six points, three steals and two blocks.
 
Junior guard GABRIELLE RIVERA (Teaneck, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) had nine points and junior forward KERRI CASSARELLO (Keansburg, NJ/Keansburg) chalked up seven points (3-6), seven rebounds and four assists.
 
In the first half, NJCU led 6-2 before scored the next 13 points for a 15-6 lead with 12:53 on the clock. Lehman continued to lead, pushing its first half margin to 11 (23-12) before the Knights responded with a 15-3 spurt of its own and claimed a 27-26 lead after a pair of baskets by Cassarello layups assisted by Kaminski, capped a nearly seven minute outburst. Lehman scored the next five points to reclaim a 31-27 lead with 2:29 left in the half. Kaminski hit a jumper 15 seconds prior to the half for the two-point differential.
 
But in the second half Mencia hit a three and Gordon and De La Cruz added layups in the first three minutes and the Lightning lead increased to 44-31 when De La Cruz put back an offensive rebound at 13:30. Her layup at 11:55 capped the 15-3 run as the lead grew to 46-32. The Knights were never able to cut the deficit to single digits again and the 19-point final margin was Lehman's largest lead of the night after the hosts tagged on five points in the final 26 seconds.

Next up, NJCU hosts Ramapo College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, February 1 at 6 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.