JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior forward Deseree Johnson (Red Bank, NJ/Monmouth Regional) was the game's most dominant player, scoring a career-high 29 points while notching her sixth career double-double. But for the second straight outing, New Jersey City University fell behind by double figures early as Wheaton College (Mass.) jumped out to a 19-0 advantage as the Lyons defeated the Gothic Knights, 75-50, in a non-conference women's basketball game at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court) on December 7.
 
Johnson scored more than half of NJCU's points—accounting for 58 percent of its offensive output—and scored the most points by a Gothic Knight in more than a year. It was her second career 20-point performance, nearly double her previous season scoring high (16), and one point shy of the most scored by a New Jersey Athletic Conference player this season.
 
Overall, Johnson shot 12-of-26 and 5-of-12 from three-point range to notch 29 points without attempting a free throw. She added 11 rebounds (seven defensive), three assists and two steals in 39 minutes—coming out only in the final minute of the game. It was her 21st career double-digit scoring effort, her sixth in seven games this year and her third double-double of the season.
 
However, Johnson's career night was not enough to spark NJCU to comeback. After NJCU rallied to draw with 10 at the end of the third quarter, Wheaton, which improved to 6-2 (won 3), rattled off an 18-3 run that spanned the first 8:19 of the fourth quarter and NJCU (1-6, lost 4) did not score a basket in the period between Johnson's three-pointer at the 8:51 mark and her layup with 1:41 to go—a scoreless drought of 7:10 that enabled the Lyons to pull away. Wheaton outscored NJCU overall 20-5 in the final quarter.
 
Three players reached double figures for Wheaton which was credited with an assist on 23 of 27 made baskets. The Lyons were led by a double-double of 18 points (7-14 FG), 10 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 24 minutes by senior forward Kiley Shoemaker (Fayetteville, NY).
 
Sophomore guard Emily Cuthbertson (Hudson, NH) had 12 points (4-7 FG, 3-4 3FG) including three triples and dished eight assists in 37 minutes. New Jersey native and freshman guard Ruthie Zientek (Holmdel, NJ/Northfield Mount Herman) had 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-3 3FG) in 21 reserve minutes while senior guard Rebecca Arnone (Litchfield, NH) finished with nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
Wheaton hit back-to-back threes in the first 68 seconds of the opening quarter and a third three by a third different Lyons player made it 9-0, when Cuthbertson struck from NBA range. Three layups—two by Shoemaker— pushed it to 15-0 before three minutes had been played and NJCU was handcuffed when junior point guard Jazz Randall (Parsippany, NJ/West Orange) picked up her third fouls just 4:21 into the opening quarter.
 
Wheaton would push the outburst to 19-0 before NJCU got its first points with 4:54 to go in the quarter. A pair of threes by freshman guard/forward Megan Semeniak (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) and one from Johnson cut it to 22-9 but Wheaton led 26-9 at the end of the quarter.        
 
After trailing 19-0 in the first quarter, NJCU outscored Wheaton 14-13 in the first nine minutes of the second quarter and when Johnson hit back-to-back threes, the second with 2:24 to go in the half to cut the deficit to 14 (35-21) and followed with a fast break layup off her own steal with 1:16 to play, the Knights were down a dozen before Wheaton pushed the margin to 17 at halftime, 40-23, on two baskets including a Zientek three; Shoemaker assisted on both shots.
 
The second quarter was even at 14-14, but Wheaton shot 6-of-9 from three-point range in the opening half (.667), shot 48.4 percent overall (15-31) and registered assists on 14 of 15 baskets.
 
Johnson scored 15 of NJCU's 23 points in the first half (6-14 FG, 3-8 3FG) but the rest of the team was 3-of-15. Johnson, whose previous career high was 21, already had 19 at the midway point of the third quarter and eclipsed her career high on a three from the right arc with exactly three minutes left in the third quarter. She was 9-of-20 at the point she had scored 22 of NJCU's first 39 points.
 
The Gothic Knights outscored the Lyons 21-5 in the third quarter to make a game of it. NJCU made it a 10-point game at 55-45 when an aggressive freshman guard Christine Bizub (Fort Lee, NJ/Fort Lee) scored twice in the final minute, swiping a pass and going in on a fast break before driving the left baseline for two. But Cuthbertson hit a three 17 seconds into the fourth quarter and Wheaton gradually pulled away. Its lead reached 22 on a three by Zientek (70-48) with 4:51 left; the 25-point final margin was its largest lead.
 
#KnightNotes:

• First meeting between NJCU and Wheaton.
• Game was only the second-ever meeting between NJCU and a member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) conference. The only other meeting in its history with a member of that league was a 76-52 loss to Clark University (Mass.) in Salem, Mass. on a neutral court on December 29, 2000.
• Deseree Johnson's previous career high was 21 against William Paterson on February 9, 2015. Her previous season high was 16 points, twice (most recently December 2 against William Paterson).
• Johnson's 29 points are the most by a Gothic Knight since Bria Smith scored 29 against Kean on November 22, 2014.
• Johnson's 29 points were one shy of Kean's Jaquetta Owens for the most by an NJAC player this season. Owens scored 30 on November 15 against Brooklyn and 29 on November 15 while facing Hunter.
• NJCU, which entered the game with at least 20 turnovers in every game this year, and averaging 25.0 per contest, only committed 17.

 
What's Next?:
On Wednesday, December 9 at 6 p.m. NJCU hosts Ramapo College (2-6, 0-3 NJAC) in a New Jersey Athletic Conference matchup. NJCU swept the 2014-15 season series, winning the last meeting on February 4, 2015 in Jersey City, 60-52. Ramapo leads the all-time series, 37-28. It will be the 66th meeting. Follow live stats (http://sidearmstats.com/njcu/wbball/) or live video (https://www.youtube.com/user/NJCUGothicKnights/live).