New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

CAMDEN, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University led 60-50 with 2:40 remaining in regulation before Rutgers University-Camden stormed back—forcing overtime with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer before limiting the Gothic Knights to 2-of-10 shooting in the extra session as RUC nipped NJCU, 78-72 (1 OT) in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball game on January 9 at the Rutgers-Camden Athletic & Fitness Center.
 
NJCU, playing a second overtime game in a season for the first time in 12 years, lost its sixth straight contest, falling to 3-11 (1-6 NJAC). Camden (6-7, 2-5 NJAC) snapped a two-game skid.
 
Junior forward ALNISA HERNAIZ (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) registered her fourth double-double of the season and 13^th of her career, with a game-high 16 rebounds (11 defensive), 14 points, four assists and three steals. She shot 2-of-10 from the field but was stellar from the free-throw line, shooting 10-of-13.
 
Hernaiz reached double figures in rebounds for the 23^rd time in her career (sixth in in 2012-13) and had at least 15 caroms for the third time this year and sixth time in her career. She moved into 13^th place in school history with 521 career rebounds.
 
Sophomore point guard ASHLEY VAZQUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) poured in her ninth effort of double digit scoring with 16 points (4-10 FG), including a perfect 8-for-8 from the line, with three assists versus seven turnovers.
 
Sophomore guard Monica Burch (Lawnside, NJ/Sterling) forced overtime. Down two with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, she took a pass from sophomore guard Alex Gravinese (Audubon, NJ/Audubon) and launched a desperation three just to the right of the top of the arc that swished through at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime knotted at 65.
 
Rutgers-Camden was led by rookie forward Michelle Onu (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) with 22 points (7-16 FG) and 14 rebounds. Gravinese scored 17 points (5-9 FG) and knocked down four three-pointers (4-8), while Burch chipped in 15 points (5-9 FG) and three steals.
 
Senior forward Brittany Turner (Belleville, NJ/Queen of Peace) added 13 points, seven rebounds (six defensive), four assists and three steals.
 
Also for NJCU, sophomore guard JADE MEDLEY (Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) scored 10 points, including nine during a late game run that saw the Knights move ahead by a dozen. Senior forward KERRI CASSARELLO (Keansburg, NJ/Keansburg) added seven on 3-of-3 shooting. Freshman forward JIANA CLARK (Cheltenham, PA/Cheltenham) grabbed seven rebounds (five defensive) in 14 minutes and senior guard GABRIELLE RIVERA (Teaneck, NJ/Saint Joseph of the Palisades) finished with eight points.
 
The schools combined for 58 fouls in the contest (NJCU, 31; Camden, 27) and much of the night was spent at the line. NJCU made 24-of-39 from the stripe (.615), including 17-of-22 when it shot 77.3 percent in the second half. RUC was 25-of-42 overall (.595) with double figures in free throw attempts in all three periods.
 
Both teams struggled from three-point distance in the game; the Knights were 2-of-12 (.167) while the Raptors made 29.2 percent (7-24).
 
 “We played a really solid game all around,” second-year coach Amy Mulligan. “We have to tighten up how we handle the ball down the stretch. Alnisa played yet another great game on the boards and really came up big for us.”
 
In the first half, Rutgers-Camden only shot 28.6 percent but was able to build a 25-24 advantage at the half after the schools traded four lead changes. Burch's other three of the game came towards the end of the first period to allow the hosts to go to the break up by one; she had eight points in the period. Oddly, six different NJCU players scored exactly four points in the first half.
 
The game remained tight throughout much of the second half with Camden never leading by more than three points and NJCU gaining three small leads, including 36-34 (13:50 left) and 45-43 (8:48). In between the schools traded six ties—at 27, 32, 34, 38, 41 and 43—before the 11^th tie of the game came with 8:47 to go on a pair of foul shots by Turner at 45-45. Another Turner foul shot made it 46-45 in favor of the Raptors.
 
From there, NJCU uncorked a 13-0 run over a span of 4:46 to seemingly take control of the game. Medley drilled a three with 8:28 left and Vazquez made it 50-46 before Medley knocked down another trey for a 53-46 edge. Vazquez scored again to push the lead to 55-46. With 3:43 left a steal by Hernaiz led to a fast-break basket and three-point play by Medley that propelled NJCU to a 12-point, 58-46 advantage. Medley scored nine and Vazquez added four during the spurt.
 
The hosts would not quit as they cut NJCU's lead to single digits with under a minute to play. Onu hit a jumper with 2:49 left to make it an eight-point game before Vazquez sank two foul shots with 2:40 remaining for a 60-50 edge. Four quick points by sophomore guard Lillian Chukwueze (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) made is a six-point game before Vazquez hit another pair of four shots for a 62-54 margin with 1:49 to play.
 
With 1:03 left Burch turned a steal into two points and with 38 seconds to go, Turner picked off another pass and was fouled, making both shots to slice the deficit to four, 62-58. NJCU committed its third consecutive turnover with 30 seconds to go and after Chukwueze missed a three, Onu's offensive rebound and layup made it 62-60 with 21 seconds left. Forced to foul, Camden sent Rivera to the line where she hit two shots for a 64-60 edge. Onu had another rebound of a missed three and a layup with six ticks on the clock (64-62). Hernaiz was fouled, missed her first shot but made the second, setting up the final sequence where Burch forced OT.
 
Overtime would belong to the hosts as they scored the first four points and never trailed as the Scarlet Raptors would pull away for the 78-72 victory. Turner's jumper with 2:29 left in OT made it a five-point differential and NJCU couldn't get closer than three the rest of the way. The final six-point lead was Camden's largest of the night.
 
NJCU will look to get out of their slump on Saturday, January 12 when they host The College of New Jersey for a 5 p.m. conference contest on 'Green and Gold Day' at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.