MADISON, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | A last-second, half-court heave was just off its mark, sending New Jersey City University to its second loss in as many days at the FDU Tip-Off Classic on Sunday, November 18 at Ferguson Recreation Center. Neither NJCU (0-2) nor Purchase College (1-2) ever got their shot to start falling, but Purchase put together just enough offense to hold on for the 46-45 victory over the Gothic Knights.
 
Sunday's matchup came right down to the wire, with the Knights slowly cutting into a five-point lead that Purchase took with 4:23 remaining in the game. A layup from senior captain Miesha Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) at the 3:05 mark cut the Purchase lead to 46-43, and freshman star Jasmine Reese (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) cut that lead to just one (46-45) at the 1:25 mark. The Knights had four possessions and four shots to take the lead in the final 85 seconds, but they couldn't convert any of those. Purchase kept NJCU in the game with turnovers and missed free throws—including a big pair with four seconds remaining—but a half-court heave at the buzzer hit the backboard and rimmed out, leaving NJCU with its second defeat in less than 24 hours.
 
"The shots just weren't falling for us," head coach Patrick Devaney explained. "It seemed like there was something blocking the rim. It didn't help that we weren't doing a great job running our offense, either."
 
The Knights turned once again to senior guard Marajiah Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) to lead the offense, and she responded with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double (tacking on five steals and two assists for good measure), but the rest of the offense never got clicking, with the Knights shooting just 26.0 percent from the field and 8.3 percent (2-24) from three.
 
NJCU freshman Jasmine Reese (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) also tallied a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds in her 29 minutes. She now has a double-double in each of her two games in a Gothic Knight jersey. However, she missed nearly 10 straight minutes with foul trouble in the second half. The Knights were also without senior starter Christine Bizub (Fort Lee, NJ/Fort Lee), who rolled her ankle late in Saturday's loss. Miesha Bacon (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) had 10 rebounds as the Bacon sisters and Reese combined for 31 boards.
 
For the Panthers, junior forward Arta Krasniqi (Bronx, N.Y.) led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds, scoring her 16 points on just 11 shots. Her two three pointers in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference. Purchase didn't exactly shoot the lights out either, but they hit 30.4 percent from the field and 21.1 percent (4-19) from three.
 
"The one thing we did do well was defend," Devaney said. "That's a step in the right direction on that front."
 
The second quarter was the only stretch in the game where the Knights really got things rolling, as they made seven of their 20 shots for the quarter and were defensively dominant, winning the frame 16-4 over the Panthers. They started the quarter on a 7-0 run, and they scored the final five points of the quarter as well. Reese had a particularly strong quarter with eight of her 11 points on the night coming in the second.
 
Purchase won the other three quarters, however, including overtaking the Knights in the fourth, as Purchase came into the frame down one before pulling ahead midway through the quarter and holding on for the one-point victory.
 
NOTABLES:

• Series: This was only the second-ever meeting between the two schools. The series is now tied 1-1.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Knights jump right into New Jersey Athletic Conference play, heading to Union, N.J. to face off with rival Kean University (1-2) on Tuesday, November 20 at 6:00 p.m.

 
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