MADISON, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Less than 24 hours after the New Jersey City University women's basketball team broke a 43-game New Jersey Athletic Conference road losing streak, they took a short-handed squad—down three of their top six players—to Baldwin Gymnasium and lost 90-40 to Drew University (6-2) on Sunday, December 15.
 
In the final game of the 2019 portion of the schedule, only one Gothic Knight reached double figures for the Knights in the non-conference affair won last season by NJCU, with sophomore wing Zyearah Taylor-Gaston (Jersey City, NJ/Marist (via St. Anthony)) (10 points) doing so in 27 minutes off the bench. She also tallied three blocks. Junior guard Alexandria Sams (Burlington City, NJ/Pennsauken) had eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 22 minutes, with the bench relied upon heavily in this game once it became a lopsided outcome
 
The Knights were hit hard on the glass without their two top rebounders—redshirt freshman center Jasmine Reese (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) and freshman small forward Sarah Edmond (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield), team's leading rebounder on the season, with Drew collecting a 52-31 edge on the boards, and posting a dominant 44-10 edge on points in the paint.
 
Drew had four different players in double figures, with 17 players getting on the court and 13 different players scoring. Sophomore forward Sekya Campbell (Sicklerville, N.J.) led the way with 16 points and five rebounds, while junior guard Julia Ramos (Hazlet, N.J.) was the metronome for the strong Ranger offense, tallying 14 points and six assists to only one turnover.
 
The Rangers set the tone early, scoring the first 14 points of the game, and holding the Knights off the board for the first 4:19 of the game until a three from freshman Samantha DiPopolo (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) cracked the seal for NJCU. The Drew lead had ballooned to 18 by the end of the first quarter, and the Knights were unable to get closer than 22 at any point in the second half. Drew shot 51.6 percent in the game (33-64) and 18-of-21 at the line (85.7 percent). Two other players scored in double figures and eight tallied five or more points in the game.
 
NOTABLES:

• Series: 10th meeting, with the two teams having now evenly split the series, 5-5.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Knights don't play again until 2020, with their first game back after the break coming on Wednesday, January 8 after a 23-day layoff when they will play host to preseason NJAC favorite TCNJ (6-3, 3-1 NJAC) at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

 
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