JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University women's basketball team headed into its holiday break by annihilating a 31-year-old single-game scoring record and three other long-standing standards. The Gothic Knights led 60-18 at halftime and obliterated single-game records for points (123), assists (35), made field goals (48), and field goal attempts (102) in a 123-44 rout of Vaughn College in a non-conference game on December 20 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
 
Seven different players scored in double figures for the Gothic Knights (4-8) as NJCU snapped a six-game losing skid, dropping Vaughn to 2-7. The 68 rebounds were the second most ever in a game. The Knights led 27-5 at the end of the first quarter and 94-25 after three periods.
 
The 123-point performance is 18 more than the previous women's basketball mark set on February 13, 1986 in a 105-45 New Jersey Athletic Conference road win at Rutgers-Camden. The Gothic Knights scored 100 points in a game for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since February 1989. Meanwhile the 79-point margin of victory was just two shy of surpassing that single-game record.
 
Additionally, the 123 points were the third most scored in any basketball game, men's or women's, in school history, and the most ever in a home game. The men's basketball team scored 136 points in 1979 and 124 in 1985—both wins.
 
The 35 assists break a 28-year-old school mark of 32 against St. Elizabeth on February 21, 1989. Furthermore, the 48 made baskets is three more than the known mark of 45 vs. NJIT on November 19, 1988.
 
Freshman point guard Tu'ziah Hall (Greenville, N.C./Bannecker (NC)), winner of four of the first five NJAC Rookie of the Week awards, who earlier in the day became the fifth player in school history selected to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week, had a near triple-double. Hall finished with game highs of 20 points and a career-high 10 assists while adding eight rebounds and five steals against only three turnovers in 25 minutes. She was 3-of-6 from three-point range, a perfect 7-of-7 from the line, and after scoring 30 and 28 points in her previous two games, netted at least 20 points for the fourth time this year. Her 10 assists were the most by an NJCU player since January 2008. Hall scored just five points in the first half in 11 minutes but then scored 10 points in four minutes in the third quarter.
 
Junior center Shege Haxhaj (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) registered a career-high 18 points in 22 minutes and was nearly perfect from the field, converting 8-of-9 from the field. She was one of two Gothic Knights to score 10 in the first half and added eight rebounds.
 

Junior guard Aaliyah Saud (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) had her second highest scoring effort at NJCU, netting 19 points (7-12 FG) in only 17 minutes with seven assists and three steals. Freshman guard Tiana Hill (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park (Md.)) nearly doubled her previous high of nine, netting 16 points (7-14 FG) and five steals in 18 minutes while freshman guard Iyannah Moore (Newark, N.J./University) chalked up 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-5 3FG) and eight rebounds in 23 minutes.
 
Also for the Knights, senior guard Kiana Briggs (Paterson, N.J./Passaic County Tech) had 10 of her 12 points in the first half, adding four assists in 21 minutes. Senior guard/forward Jazz Randall (Parsippany, N.J./West Orange) tallied a well-rounded effort of 10 points (4-8 FG) and seven rebounds in 16 minutes. Freshman forward/center Atonie Johnson (Irvington, N.J./Irvington) hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds to equal her career high.
 
No Gothic Knight played more than 25 minutes or less than 11. Overall, 10 of 11 players scored and of the four women who did not reach double figures, three fouled out. All 11 players had a rebound and an assist and nine of the 11 contributed a steal.  
 
The 94 points after three quarters by itself would have equaled the seventh highest scoring total in a game in school history.
 
In the first half, NJCU held a 40-4 advantage in the paint and its reserves outscored the Warriors bench, 31-0. NJCU outrebounded Vaughn 38-20 (16-5 on the offensive glass) and owned a 15-0 edge in second chance scoring.  Meanwhile, NJCU committed just seven first half turnovers, forced 23, and had a 27-6 margin in points off giveaways.
 
NJCU wound up with a 68-39 rebounding margin and turned 43 giveaways into a 55-13 margin off turnovers. NJCU outscored Vaughn 70-20 in the paint, 24-2 on the fast break and its reserves manhandled the Warrior backups, 58-3.
 
NJCU had 75 points with 5:40 to go in the third quarter, 85 with 2:04 remaining and reached 90 with 1:01 left in the period on a third-chance putback by Briggs. NJCU's 100th point was a three from the left corner by Saud with 8:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
The single-game scoring record fell with 5:36 remaining when Haxhaj made a spin move on the left block off a pass from Hall to extend the lead to 106-31. A layup by Hill fed by a Saud steal accounted for the 110th point (111-33) with 3:40 to go before a triple from the right corner by Moore with 33 seconds left notched the 120th point (120-42). Saud's triple with 13 seconds left gave the Knights an 81-point advantage (123-42) before the night ended 123-44.
 
QUOTABLE KNIGHTS:
Tu'ziah Hall on the scoring record: "Making history is always a good thing. I'm glad we were able to accomplish that."
 
Shege Haxhaj on being part of the historical effort: "From last year, winning one game, to making history this year, I think that's great."
 
Full interview on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/NJCUGothicKnights/videos/10154429478559915/

 

OF NOTE:

• Second meeting. NJCU leads series, 2-0 and has outscored Vaughn, 179-56.
• NJCU's previous season high was 40 points fewer—83 points vs. Newbury on November 19.
• NJCU is 16-0 all-time when scoring 90 points in a game
• NJCU is 46-1 all-time when scoring at least 80 points in a game.
• The 79-point margin of victory is second only to an 81-point, 96-15 home win over CCNY on November 19, 1999.
• The 123 points are the third most by a men's or women's team ever at the institution and the most ever at home:
  • 2/11/1979—Men def. Mercy (neutral), 136-108
  • 1/12/1985—Men def. Stockton State (away), 124-102
• The top five single-game scoring efforts for NJCU women's basketball:
  • 123 vs. Vaughn, December 20, 2016
  • 105 at Rutgers-Camden, February 13, 1986
  • 103 vs. Mount Saint Vincent (neutral), December 30, 1987
  • 101 vs. St. Elizabeth, February 21, 1989
  • 99 vs. Caldwell, February 20, 1978
• The 35 assists are a single-game school record. The previous best known assist marks:
  • 35 vs. Vaughn, December 20, 2016
  • 32 assists vs. St. Elizabeth, February 21, 1989
  • 29 assists vs. Medgar Evers, November 20, 2004
  • 27 assists vs. Medgar Evers on December 16, 1992
• The 48 made field goals are a single-game school record.  The previous best known marks:
  • 48 vs. Vaughn, December 20, 2016
  • 45 vs. NJIT (45-91), November 19, 1988
  • 44 vs. St. Elizabeth (44-82), February 21, 1989
  • 44 vs. Ramapo (44-80), January 11, 1989
• The 102 field goal attempts are a single-game school record:
  • 102 vs. Vaughn, December 20, 2016
  • 98 vs. Pratt, November 26, 2016
  • 96 vs. Caldwell, February 20, 1978
• The top rebounding marks in school history (65+)
  • 69 vs. Medgar Evers, December 16, 1992
  • 68 vs. Vaughn, December 20, 2016
  • 67 vs. York, January 5, 1992
  • 66 at Caldwell, January 25, 1988
  • 66 vs. Farmingdale State, November 28, 2007
  • 66 vs. Bloomfield, November 25, 1996
  • 65 vs. Hunter, January 6, 1982
  • 65 at William Paterson, November 25, 2000
  • 65 vs. Vaughn, December 17, 2011
• Tuziah Hall's 10 assists are the most since Vanessa V. Espinoza had 11 at City Tech on January 28, 2008.
• Shege Haxhaj's previous high was 17 at Kean on December 7, 2016.
• Iyannah Moore previously reached double figures (10) at York on November 15, 2016.
• Atonie Johnson matched her previous high of 10 rebounds vs. Pratt on November 26, 2016

 
WHAT'S NEXT?:
NJCU will be idle for 15 days over the holiday break until returning to the court on Wednesday, January 4 at 6 p.m. when it meets Montclair State University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference matchup in Montclair, N.J.