JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University rallied multiple times in the second half and trailed Richard Stockton College by four (59-55) with 3:28 remaining before the Ospreys used an 11-1 advantage to pull away down the stretch to claim a 70-58 New Jersey Athletic Conference win on January 7 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

Stockton (9-3, 5-1 NJAC) led by nine at the half but much of the second half was a tightly-contested affair in a final result not indicative of the back-and-forth nature of the game. NJCU falls to .500 overall (6-6,1-5 NJAC).

Senior guard Alex Nardoza (Fords, NJ/Woodbridge), who finished with a game-high 17 points, was 11-of-12 from the line, including Stockton's final six points, icing the win from the stripe. She added three assists in 35 minutes.

NJCU sophomore power forward Bria Smith (Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy), the league's leading rebounder, notched her eighth double-double of the  season and 18th of her career, scoring 16 points (7-21 FG) with 12 rebounds, five steals, four blocks and two assists in 35 minutes.

Stockton also received 12 points (3-8 FG, 6-7 FT) and nine points from one-time NJAC Player of the Week and senior forward Sara Farrell (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) and 6-foot-2 rookie forward Sasha Williams (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) added 11 rebounds, eight points (3-10 FG) and five blocks. Senior forward Lauren Alwan (Cherry Hill, NJ/Timber Creek) complimented the win with nine points (4-11 FG), nine rebounds and five steals.

Senior shooting guard Jade Medley (Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) finished with eight points and eight boards off the bench and junior guard Kiana Briggs (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) tallied eight points and six assists before she became one of three Gothic Knights to foul out.

In a sloppy first half for both schools, Stockton shot 30.6 percent (11-36) but scored 17 points off 18 Gothic Knight turnovers in the period. NJCU shot .267 in the half (8-30).
Stockton claimed an early 15-7 advantage, pushed the lead to 10 with 3:33 to play on a pair of Nardoza foul shots and led by as many as 11 when Alwan scored off a steal with a minute to play (30-19). The guests held a 30-21 cushion at the break.
 NJCU clawed back within 37-34 seven minutes into the period and after Briggs hit a layup with 12:02 to play off a feed from junior forward Deseree Johnson (Red Bank, NJ/Monmouth Regional) and Briggs returned the favor, finding Johnson in the left corner where she buried a three, the Knights tied it at 39-39 with 11:31 to play.

Nardoza and Farrell scored five of the next six for Stockton which regained a 48-42 margin. NJCU twice whittled the lead down to two, including 49-47 with 7:03 to play before a 10-2 run, capped by a triple from junior forward Marina Lukianov (Howell, NJ/Howell) with 4:13 to play, made it a 10-point, 59-49 decision.

NJCU had one more rally bid, as Medley knocked down back-to-back threes in a span of 27 seconds to close the gap to four, 59-55, with 3:28 left. But the Ospreys hit 31-of-42 free throw chances in the win (73.8 percent) and Farrell hit two from the stripe to push the lead back to six as Stockton scored its final 11 points of the night from the line to clinch the outcome.

OF NOTE:

• Series: 56th meeting. Stockton leads the all-time series, 43-13. Stockton has won 22 of the last 23 meetings since November 1998.
• Bria Smith reached double figures in scoring for the 25th time in 37 career games and the 10th time in 12 games this year.
• Bria Smith hauled in double digits in rebounding for the 23rd time as a collegian and eighth time this season.
• Bria Smith exceeded the 500-point plateau (501 points) in only her 37th game.

WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU will visit The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ on Saturday January 10 at 1 p.m. TCNJ is 7-5 (2-4 NJAC). TCNJ downed NJCU, 87-56 in the last meeting on February 15, 2014 in Jersey City. It will be the 55th meeting between the two teams. TCNJ leads the all-time series, 51-3, and has won the last 11 meetings.