New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Gothic Knight Insights feature, MESHA LAGUERRE

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University trailed by 12 with eight minutes to play before a furious rally sparked by three-point shooting allowed the Gothic Knights to pull within one point twice, including the final minute. But Richard Stockton College used a nearly 3-to-1 margin in free throw opportunities to ultimately squeeze by NJCU, 68-64, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball game on December 7 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 
After junior shooting guard JADE MEDLEY (Queens, NJ/Hudson Catholic) buried NJCU's seventh three-pointer of the second half with 1:01 to play, three-time NJAC Rookie of the Week and forward BRIA SMITH (Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy) stole the ball back from the Ospreys with 25 seconds to play. But NJCU turned the ball over under the basket and was able to ice the game with three late foul shots.
 
Stockton (2-4, 1-3 NJAC) wins its first NJAC game of the season, snapped a four-game losing skid and won its 21^st consecutive game over NJCU (2-5, 1-3 NJAC) since 1998.
 
The Ospreys won the game from the free throw line where it shot 30-of-38 overall—78.9 percent—while NJCU was granted just 13 opportunities from the line, making six of them (.462). NJCU did convert eight three-pointers (8-24, .333—its most triples in a game this year.
 
No player was more important for the Ospreys than junior guard Alex Nardoza (Fords, NJ/Woodbridge) who scored a game-high 27 points (4-7 FG), including a remarkable 18-of-18 from the foul line. She added four assists and three steals in a full 40 minutes of action.
 
Three scored in double figures for NJCU, led by sophomore guard KIANA BRIGGS (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) who notched her third career scoring high this season, finishing with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 three-point success, while adding five assists in 36 minutes. She reached double figures for the fifth time this year.
 
Junior guard ASHLEY VAZQUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) reached double digits in scoring for the 25^th time in 32 games at NJCU, finishing with another impressive effort of 16 points, including 6-of-12 shooting and two threes (2-6 3FG) with three assists and three steals in 31 minutes before being forced out of the game with an ankle injury with 4:50 to go and the deficit just three.
 
Also for NJCU, Medley had 12 points (4-12 FG, 2-7 3FG), five rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks in a productive 30 minutes. Smith had seven rebounds and five points but was limited to just seven minutes in the second half after falling into foul trouble with four. Sophomore forward DESEREE JOHNSON (Red Bank, NJ/Monmouth Regional) collected seven points (3-8 FG), seven rebounds (five defensive) and two assists.
 
Stockton senior forward Lauren Alwan (Winslow, NJ/Timber Creek) had an enormous double-double of 19 points (6-13 FG and 7-12 FT), 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in a full 40 minutes. Senior forward Cara Parliament (Manchester, NJ/Manchester Township) finished with a game-high 17 rebounds (10 defensive) and eight points (4-14 FG) in 32 minutes.

Nardoza scored 17 of her 27 in the first half when she accounted for 65 percent of Stockton's first 26 points, highlighted by 10-of-10 from the line. Stockton shot 13-of-16 from the stripe in the first half or 81.3 percent; meanwhile, NJCU was awarded just one free throw.
 
Stockton never trailed in the game and burst out to a 12-2 lead early, including 10 straight points, but NJCU was able to claw back into the game in the final eight minutes of the period. Four NJCU players scored during an 8-2 run to make it 14-10 and a three-point play by Smith made it 17-13 with 6:43 left.
 
Briggs, who scored nine in the first half for NJCU—all in the final six minutes—provided seven consecutive points including a three with 2:59 on the clock to tie the game at 20-20—an 18-8 spurt. Stockton would score its final four points from the line to gain a 26-22 cushion at the intermission.
 
Early in the second half Stockton pushed the lead to six before an offensive putback by Medley and a Johnson three made it a one-point game, 28-27. Stockton would unleash a 12-0 run over the next 4:20 to build a 40-27 advantage. Alwan and Parliament each had four points before the Ospreys hit a three with 14:20 left. The lead remained in double figures, reaching 14 two more times and it stood at a dozen, 58-46, when Alwan sank two foul shots with 8:14 to play.
 
That's when NJCU began an impressive comeback bid. Vazquez and Briggs drained threes on consecutive possessions and a Medley steal led to a fast break layup by Vazquez with 6:26 to go to make it a four-point game. Vazquez sprinted up the floor off a defensive rebound with 6:03 left and her fast break magic—her seventh point during the run—capped a 10-0 run and made it a two-point deficit, 58-56. After two Stockton foul shots, Medley drilled her first three of the game with 4:59 left to shave the differential to one (60-59).
 
Five Stockton foul shots pushed the lead to six with 2:09 to play—Nardoza sinking two each at the 3:16 and 2:09 marks—before Medley hit two foul shots with 1:49 on the board and drilled a three with 1:01 left to make it one-point deficit for the third time in the half (65-64), leading to the final minute drama.
 
NJCU will play three non-conference games prior to the holiday break. The first is on Tuesday, December 10 at 6 p.m. against the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, NY.