New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Gothic Knight Insights, JAZZ RANDALL
GothicVision: Post-Game Interviews with ASHLEY VAZQUEZ, DESEREE JOHNSON

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Kean University entered Saturday's rematch with New Jersey City University as a red-hot team poised for the post-season. But on February 1, NJCU was the squad that looked like a playoff team. NJCU led wire-to-wire and used an impressive defensive effort to post the most lopsided victory over Kean in the history of the series, routing the Cougars, 72-49, in New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
 
Four players scored in double figures for NJCU which led 39-22 at halftime and by as many as 30 points in the second half.  NJCU shot 44.0 percent overall (22-50) and 24-of-36 from the line while limiting Kean to 24.6 percent shooting (15-61) and just 4-of-19 three-point accuracy (.211). Kean also struggled from the line, making 15-of-31 (.484).
 
Defensively, all five starters had a blocked shot and NJCU rejected 11 shots as a team—the most in a game in seven years. It was the most blocked shots against an NJAC foe since the 2005-06 season.
 
The 23-point margin of victory was one more than the previous most lopsided win—a 66-44 victory in Union on November 29, 1997. NJCU has won three of the last four meetings with the Cougars.
 
Kean, which had won five consecutive games—including an upset of #10 Montclair State on January 18 that snapped the Red Hawks' 27-game NJAC winning streak—fell to 11-8 (8-4 NJAC), but is still solidly in control of third place in the league with six conference games remaining. NJCU's seventh win (7-13, 4-9 NJAC) is the most since the 2009-10 campaign. Its fourth NJAC win is the most since the 2006-07 season.
 
Junior point guard ASHLEY VAZQUEZ (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) was the catalyst for NJCU's offense as she notched her fourth career 20-point scoring effort—third this year—and was one shy of equaling her career high set a week ago. Vazquez, who reached double figures for the 18^th time in 20 games this season, poured in 22 points, highlighted by 5-of-9 shooting and 11-of-13 free throw precision. She added five rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes.
 
In the second match-up this season between the probable front-runners for NJAC Rookie of the Year honors—five-time Rookie of the Week (one-time Player of the Week) BRIA SMITH (Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy) and three-time Rookie of the Week choice Jaquetta Owens (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield Tech)—it was again Smith with the better performance. After posting 23 points and 19 rebounds against Kean on January 4, Smith grabbed 14 rebounds (11 defensive) in the win, adding eight points on 3-of-7 shooting with three blocks and two assists in 28 minutes.
 
Sophomore guard KIANA BRIGGS (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) and sophomore forward DESEREE JOHNSON (Red Bank, NJ/Monmouth Regional) each had a near double-double. Briggs had 12 points (5-of-12 FG), nine rebounds (eight defensive), two assists and two steals in 29 minutes and Johnson chalked up 10 points, eight boards and three blocks.
 
Junior guard JADE MEDLEY (Queens, NJ/Hudson Catholic) collected 12 points (4-9 FG), four steals, three blocks and two assists. Rookie guard JAZZ RANDALL (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) tacked on seven points, making every shot she attempted (2-2 FG, 3-3 FT).
 
Kean, which entered the game averaging 71.9 points per game, was held under the 50-point threshold for the first time since the opening game of the season.
 
Junior guard AnnaRose Pierre (East Orange, NJ/Newark Tech) had a double-double for the Cougars with 11 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals but shot 3-of-15.
 
Senior center Simone Smith (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), who entered the game as the NJAC leader in field goals (134) and field goal percentage (.556), was limited to 3-of-10 shooting and eight points (three blocks). Owens, who is the NJAC leader in assists (6.3 per game) and steals (3.5 per game), had eight points and five steals before fouling out but shot 2-of-12 overall (0-5 3FG) and was limited to two assists. Freshman guard Aysha Harris (Freeport, NY/Freeport) finished with nine points.
 
"Tonight was a complete team game victory led by Ashley [Vazquez] who really did a little bit of everything," said third-year head coach Amy Mulligan. "She was tremendous from the floor and free throw line. Kiana [Briggs] had a great game on the glass and Deseree [Johnson] showed her game both inside and out while also showing her tough defensive side! We stuck to our game plan tonight and kept our composure. We never let up and that was tremendous."
 
Mulligan added: "I think a big key was Bria [Smith] just opening up the floor for her teammates and her rebounding in the second half, and Jade [Medley] also had big shots especially to start us off. The big spark plug was Jazz [Randall] both offensively giving us buckets when we needed it and defensively with three charges."
 
Vazquez got NJCU going immediately off the opening tip with a quick layup then hit a three from the corner for a 5-0 lead and the Knights were off and running. Kean cut it to 5-4, before Medley hit a three from the corner then picked off a steal for an off-balance layup before converting a free throw for a three-point play and an 11- 4 lead. Less than five minutes into the game, Owens committed her third turnover on an inbounds with Vazquez seizing the pass and dishing to Medley for a long jumper on the right wing and her eighth point, pushing the lead to double figures, 16-6. NJCU was shooting 60 percent six minutes into the game.
 
NJCU was clicking on all cylinders. After missing a three, Vazquez got her own rebound and a short layup for an 18-7 lead and Smith powered her way to the rim for a layup and a 20-7 edge at 12:45. With 11:55 left, Vazquez tracked down a loose ball rebound in traffic, dished to Randall underneath for a layup and three-point play as the margin swelled to 16 (23-7) to cap a 12-1 run. Kean was held without a field goal for a span of nearly seven minutes.
 
Boxing out and aggressive rebounding was evident throughout the contest. At 6:12, Briggs grabbed an offensive rebound while falling out of bounds and found Johnson under the rim for an easy bucket. Briggs gave NJCU its largest margin of the first half when she canned a three from the left corner with 1:01 left for an 18-point, 39-21 advantage.
 
NJCU shot 42.4 percent in the opening half (14-33), led by 13 points from Vazquez. Kean was 7-of-31 in the period (.226) and 1-of-8 from three-point range (.125).
 
The Knights kept pouring it on in the second half, taking their first 20-point lead on the first shot of the period as Johnson drilled a three before Briggs hit a long jumper to push the margin to 44-22. Kean worked the deficit to 15, 44-29, with 15:08 to play before the Knights put a final stamp on the win, unleashing a 15-3 run to extend the lead to 27 (59-32) with 10:15 to play. Vazquez had seven of the 15 points for NJCU.
 
The differential remained in the 20s from there and when Randall sank two foul shots with 5:41 to play, NJCU held a 30-point, 67-37 cushion—its largest lead over Kean ever.
 
NJCU, still alive for an NJAC Tournament berth, heads to Galloway, NJ on February 5 at 6 p.m. to meet Richard Stockton College. The Ospreys won the first meeting this year, 68-64, on December 7 in Jersey City.

NJCU's ALL-TIME WINS OVER KEAN UNIVERSITY, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
DATE	SITE	RESULT	MARGIN
02/19/1994	Jersey City, NJ	W, 58-54	+4
11/30/1994	Jersey City, NJ	W, 49-40	+9
11/29/1997	Union, NJ	W, 66-44	+22
01/31/1998	Jersey City, NJ	W, 68-66	+2
01/20/1999	Union, NJ	W, 57-49	+8
02/17/1999	Jersey City, NJ	W, 46-33	+13
01/31/2001	Union, NJ	W, 78-74	+4
02/4/2006	Union, NJ	W, 55-51	+4
12/08/2012	Jersey City, NJ	W, 56-49 (OT)	+7
01/16/2013	Union, NJ	W, 64-53	+11
02/01/2014	Jersey City, NJ	W, 72-49	+23
* One victory official score is unknown