New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Gothic Knight Insights feature, BRIA SMITH

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Two-time reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week BRIA SMITH (Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy) made a strong case for a three-peat, posting a huge double-double effort of 17 points and 16 rebounds for New Jersey City University, but Rutgers-Newark used a quick run out of the second half starting blocks to push the lead into double figures and defeated NJCU, 65-51, in an NJAC women's basketball game on November 26.
 
Rutgers-Newark (3-1, 1-0 NJAC), making its NJAC debut this season, led 32-27 at the half before a 7-2 spurt to open the second period pushed the game into double figures (39-29) and another 11-2 spurt midway through the stanza put the game out of reach. NJCU (1-4, 0-2 NJAC) was playing its first home conference game at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center and 'Coach Charlie Brown Court' this season.
 
In defeat, Smith was brilliant yet again—tying her career-high of 17 points (6-18 FG) while being one carom shy of equaling that personal best. She had eight rebounds on each end of the glass in 35 minutes of play. She hauled in double digits in rebounds for the fourth time in five games, and was simply dominant in the first half—scoring 11 of NJCU's 27 points while seizing 10 of the team's 22 rebounds.
 
Also for NJCU, junior guard ASHLEY VAZQUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) reached double digits in scoring for the 23^rd time in 30 games at NJCU, finishing with 11 points (4-11 FG) and four assists in 37 minutes. Freshman point guard JAZZ RANDALL (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) was 2-for-3 from the field and had six points in 11 reserve minutes.
 
Junior forward Jade Howard (Sicklerville, NJ/St. Joseph's (Hammonton)), a First-Team All-NJAC pick last year, demonstrated why. She powered her way to a similarly impressive double-double, shooting 6-of-11 from the field for 15 points while matching Smith's game high with 16 rebounds (11 defensive) and two blocks in 33 minutes.
 
Senior guard Jasmine Daniels (Lodi ,NJ/Lodi) collected 14 points (5-11 FG) while senior guard ShaQuanna Marshall (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Catholic) provided 12 points, six rebounds and four assists despite struggling from the field (4-14 FG, 1-7 3FG). Junior guard Courtney Woodard (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) hit half her shots (4-8) off the bench, finishing with nine points and four assists.
 
While R-N didn't have a huge rebounding differential (50-45) and NJCU actually held a slight edge on the offensive glass (21-20), the Raiders capitalized on their second-chance opportunities—outscoring the Gothic Knights 17-9 in that area. And while NJCU only committed four more turnovers than the Raiders (20-16), R-N took advantage of the miscues, outscoring the hosts 22-9 in points off giveaways.
 
"I think we could have done better boxing out," commented third-year head coach Amy Mulligan. "We just can't give up 20 offensive rebounds to a team and give them 17 second chance points; we were just very sloppy with the basketball today."
 
"Defensively we had to do a better job of stopping Jade Howard," Mulligan stated. "Our main problem was how she [Howard] got on the boards and how she got to the basket so easily. It was something that we really needed to stop."
 
There were five ties in the first half but all came in the first five minutes of action and the last at 11-11. NJCU led just once after a three-point play by Smith (12-11) with 14:52 to go. NJCU managed to keep it close before seven straight R-N points, capped by a three from sophomore guard Arianna Williams (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) made it an eight-point deficit (30-22) with 4:13 to play. The Raiders led by five at the break.
 
Marshall scored the first five points of the second half, including a three before a layup by Howard made it 39-29. NJCU whittled the deficit to six, 41-35 with 15:14 to play. But R-N answered with its two devastating runs. Howard struck three times inside for a 49-36 advantage that increased to 52-37 with 11:11 to play.
 
In all, after NJCU made it a six-point game, the Raiders would manufacture a 22-5 run over a span of 11:32 and led by as many as 23 (63-40) with 5:49 remaining at the end of a Woodard three-point play.
 
After the Thanksgiving break, NJCU returns to the court at Rowan University in NJAC action on Wednesday, December 4 at 6 p.m. in Glassboro, NJ.