New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Sophomore forward ALNISA HERNAIZ (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) notched her seventh career double-double and fourth of the season while junior forward DELIA CHERNEZ (Union City, NJ/Union City) recorded her first career double-double, as New Jersey City University broke their 13-game losing streak, edging Berkeley College (NY), 58-53, in non-conference women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon on "Coach Charlie Brown Court" at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
NJCU (4-18) snapped its longest losing streak since the end of the 1994-95 and early 1995-96 seasons, thanks in large part to a 22-13 differential on the offensive glass as the Gothic Knights posted a commanding 23-9 advantage in second chance scoring. Berkeley, also nicknamed the Knights, fell to 11-9, dropping its fourth straight with the loss. NJCU leads the all-time
series, 2-0.
 
Hernaiz, nearly matched her career high of 17 rebounds, grabbing 16 boards (nine offensive) while adding 13 points (4-10 FG.) Chernez scored in double figures for the first time in her career, shooting 5-of-10 from the field in a career-high 39 minutes of play, as she contributed a career-high 11 points and matched a career-best of 13 rebounds.

Rookie guard LUISA MONTALVO (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) came off the bench to finish with 12 points (5-9 FG), two assists and two steals while junior guard GABRIELLE RIVERA (Teaneck, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) had another strong performance for NJCU, supplying six points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals; she matched her career high with the six helpers.  
 
Junior forward KERRI CASSARELLO (Keansburg, NJ/Keansburg) came off the bench to add seven points and five rebounds for NJCU.  Rookie guard JADE MEDLEY (Newark, NJ/Hudson Catholic) shot 2-for-4 from three-point range and had six points.

"I think today we fought really hard and kept our composure and even when things got tough we did what we were supposed to do," said first-year head coach Amy Mulligan. “I think Delia's defense on their players was key for us today. She was able to shut down their players and her rebounds kept us in the game. Alnisa's post play was phenomenal today.”             

Berkeley junior guard Rachel Thomas (Brooklyn, NY/Murry Bergtraum) finished with a game-high 15 points (6-12 FG) and six rebounds while junior guard Aiyesha Brown (Jamaica, NY/John Adams) added 11 points (5-11 FG) and seven rebounds (six defensive).
 
Sophomore center Rahinet Koti (Bronx, NY/Walton) was a force on the boards at 6-foot-2, grabbing 10 rebounds while adding nine points and three blocks in 19 minutes before fouling out. Junior forward Taisha Sherman (New York, NY/Vanguard) entered the contest leading the Knights in scoring at 15.1 per game, but was limited to 2-of-13 shooting and seven points with three assists.

In a game with 14 ties and seven lead changes, including 10 ties and threes lead swaps in the first half, the game came down to the final three minutes when Montalvo drained a jumper to tie the game at 51-51 for the 14^th tie.
 
After the Montalvo jumper, junior forward MAXINE KAMINSKI (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) sunk two free throws to give
NJCU a 53-51 lead with 2:29 to play and the Gothic Knights would not trail again. After Sherman made the front end of two foul shots with 1:42 left to make it a one-point game, Montalvo extended the lead to three with a drive to the basket for a 55-52 margin. Berkeley was held without a field goal for the final 5:16 of the game, and NJCU was able to ice the game from the line.
 
In a back-and-forth first half, Berkeley led by five with 11:39 to play (13-8) before NJCU gained a 17-15 lead after a 9-2 run. Chernez scored five of the nine, including just the second three-pointer of her career. Four more ties ensued at 17, 19, 21, and 22-22 before a Medley three gave the hosts a 28-24 lead with 3:45 left in the period. Berkeley tied it at 28-28 before a Kaminski foul shot gave NJCU a one-point, 29-28 edge at halftime. Chernez had seven points and seven rebounds in the opening 20 minutes while Hernaiz supplied eight rebounds and six points.
 
NJCU jumped out to a quick four-point lead to start the second half on a Medley triple and went in front 34-30 on a Chernez basket with 17:25 left before Berkeley responded with runs of 8-0 and 10-2 to claim a 40-36 lead with 11:17 to go. Brown and Thomas each scored four of the 10 points.
 
NJCU answered right back with the next eight points, and seized a 44-40 cushion on an offensive rebound and putback by Hernaiz with 9:11 remaining. Montalvo scored four of the eight points. The Gothic Knights maintained the lead and continued to hold a four-point, 48-44 edge after two foul shots by Hernaiz at the 6:51 mark before Berkeley scored the next five points and moved in front 49-48 with 5:16 left on a layup by Koti. That proved to be Berkeley's final field goal of the game.
 
A free throw by Cassarello tied it before Sherman's two foul shots made it 51-49, Berkeley, before Montalvo's jumper tied it, leading up to the final three-minute run by NJCU. The final five-point margin was NJCU's largest lead of the game.
 
NJCU will travel to Montclair State University on Wednesday, February 8 at 6 p.m. for the first of three New Jersey Athletic Conference games to close the season. Berkeley will host Vaughn College on February 11.