New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score SALEM, MA (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University freshman forward BRIA SMITH (Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy) had one of the great debuts in the 44-year history of the Gothic Knight women's basketball program, scoring 17 points while hauling down 17 rebounds, but host Salem State University overcame a 12-point second half deficit to edge NJCU, 66-63, in the opening game of the Salem State Tip-Off Tournament on November 15 at Twohig Gymnasium. It was the 2013-14 opener for both schools.
 
Smith shot 11-of-14 from the free throw stripe and 3-of-8 from the field to notch 17 points as four Gothic Knights reached double figures in scoring. She was balanced on the boards with eight offensive and nine defensive caroms in 28 minutes of action.
 
"We had a tough loss tonight," noted third-year head coach Amy Mulligan. "We fought hard but a few mental mistakes were the difference in the game. We have to get more of the little things down. It was a tough way to start the season but we saw a lot of positives as a coaching staff."
 
Junior point guard ASHLEY VAZQUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) scored 15 points and had five steals in 37 minutes but struggled from three-point range (1-10 3FG). Vazquez had 11 points in the first half (4-10 FG). Smith tallied 11 points and eight of 17 rebounds in the second period.
 
Sophomore guard KIANA BRIGGS (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) matched her career high with six assists and netted 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Junior guard JADE MEDLEY (Queens, NJ/Hudson Catholic) collected 10 points.
 
"BRIA SMITH had an amazing game as she dominated the boards and made her presence known. JADE MEDLEY brought energy from the start and had some amazing defensive plays and big shots and KIANA BRIGGS showed up and commanded control of the basketball," Mulligan added, praising several top performers.
 
Rachael Carter (Merrimack, NH) led the Vikings with 18 points (6-15 FG), sinking all five free throws she took. Lara Bruni (Gloucester, MA) had 15 points (5-9 FG, 5-7 FT) and eight rebounds for Salem State, and Ginny Fleming (Peabody, MA) finished with 10 points, eight boards and four steals. Katherine Hutchinson provided 13 rebound, six points (3-6 FG) and three assists.
 
NJCU led nearly the entire first half, jumping out to a quick 16-7, nine-point advantage in the first six minutes of the game and extended the margin to 15 points—23-8—on a three-pointer by Vazquez with 11:26 to go in the period. The Vikings trimmed the deficit to three—27-24 with 2:36 left in the half—thanks to a 16-4 spurt, before a jumper by Vazquez in the waning seconds of the game made it a six-point cushion at the break, 35-29.
 
Smith scored the first two baskets of the second half and a jumper by Briggs gave NJCU back a 12-point lead, 41-29, at 17:46. The lead again stood at a dozen with 15:28 when Smith sank a pair from the line and NJCU held a 48-38 lead with 13:00 to go.
 
But Salem outscored the Knights in the second period, 37-28 and despite Smith's big day, NJCU was out-rebounded, 48-38.
 
A three-pointer by Carter with 8:12 left tied the game at 54 apiece, and capped a 16-6 run by the Vikings. SSU took its first lead since the 16:50 mark of the first half with 7:41 left in the game on two Bruni free throws and her jumper with 5:43 to go made it 60-57 before Medley drained a three to tie the game at 60-60 with 5:16 to play.
 
That triple proved to be NJCU's final field goal of the game as the Knights missed their final six shots. A jumper by Fleming with 3:22 to play gave the hosts the lead for good and four straight points by Carter, including a jumper with 17 seconds remaining with her squad clutching a three-point lead, iced the eventual three-point win.
 
NJCU faces Norwich University in the consolation game of the tournament on November 16; Bowdoin College downed Norwich, 66-55, in the tournament's other opening-round matchup.