CAMDEN, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The impossible mission is complete and the New Jersey City University women's basketball team has reached a destination unthinkable just two years ago. In just his second year on the sidelines of his alma mater, Patrick Devaney, Sr. `12 has ended 31 years of frustration and lackluster results, guiding the Gothic Knights to their first New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament appearance since the 1988-89 season, using a strong fourth quarter to upend Rutgers University-Camden, 54-49.
 
NJCU extended its single-season record by winning its sixth road game in the league this season—finishing the year 6-3 in NJAC road games—and outscored the team chasing it in the standings, Rutgers-Camden, 16-9 in the final quarter to punch its first ticket to the conference tournament since the 1988-89 squad finished 8-6 in the league (18-9 overall) under coach Phyllis Harker.
 
NJCU, which upset TCNJ on the road on Wednesday, improved to 11-13 overall and 8-9 in the league, sending the Raptors to 12-12 overall and 5-12 in the league.  
 
The Knights pulled into a fifth place tie with William Paterson (10-14, 8-9 NJAC) and with the clubs splitting their season series, NJCU will finish as the No. 5 seed if it can defeat Ramapo at home in the regular season finale on February 19 and TCNJ beats the Pioneers in Wayne.       
 
"It has been a long time coming and I am extremely proud of our girls for stepping up and accepting the challenge," said Devaney on his program's historic accomplishment. "These kids could have laid down at any time but they fought all season long. From losing Coco [freshman starting center Jasmine Reese (Jersey City, NJ/Hudson Catholic) to injury] to losing Alex [junior starting point guard Alexandria Sams lost at mid year] to the constant injuries we have been having, they could have packed it in. But they believed, they fought, and it has been paying off. The future is very bright for NJCU women's basketball."

NJCU was led by a monster double-double performance from freshman small forward Sarah Edmond (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) who hauled down a career-high and team season-best 18 rebounds (six offensive, 12 defensive) and scored 11 points on just four shots (2-4 FG), hitting 7-of-10 from the line. It was her first career double-double and she added three steals and two blocks in 36 minutes. It was the most rebounds by an NJCU player since January 2017.
 
The Knights, playing without senior shooting guard and leading scorer Hannah Johnson (Jersey City, NJ/Saint Dominic Academy), got an NJCU career-high 11 points from senior point guard Aaliyah McCrae (Paterson, NJ/Manchester Regional), who played a full 40 minutes for the third time this year and shot 4-of-8 with four steals. Junior wing Dayjah Anderson (East Orange, NJ/Newark Tech) contributed nine points and eight boards and freshman guard Samantha DiPopolo (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) scored eight off the bench.
 

NJCU did not shoot well overall (13-50, 26.0 percent) from the field, but were lights out from three-point range, hitting 7-of-13 from deep, as five different players connected, including Anderson and DiPopolo who each were 2-of-4. NJCU also shot 21-of-35 from the line. The Knights held the Raptors to just 28.6 percent shooting overall (16-56) and 4-of-21 from three-point distance (19.0 percent).
 
Meanwhile, NJCU controlled the ball well. It committed just 14 turnovers in the game, forced 21, and outscored the Raptors off giveaways, 23-8. It also got a 12-2 spark from its bench.
 
Senior guard Fatimah Williams (Camden, N.J.) had a game-high 20 points for Camden (10-11 FT), with nine rebounds and six assists, but committed five turnovers and was 0-for-8 from three-point distance. Freshman wing Jalissa Pitts (Sicklerville, N.J.) finished with 15 points (5-11 FG) and nine rebounds.
 
NJCU led 11-8 after one quarter and 24-17 at the end of a lackluster shooting half for both teams. NJCU led 32-27 midway through the third quarter when junior guard Mya Neal (East Orange, NJ/Newark Tech) sank a three. Camden used a 23-14 differential in the third quarter to take a brief lead in the game and the Raptors led for just 2:56 all afternoon. Williams hit two foul shots with 1:53 left in the third to take its first lead of the game and worked the margin to as many as four points (40-36) before Anderson hit a jumper with 15 seconds left to snap a stretch of 5:35 without a field goal and a cold spell that saw the hosts assemble a 13-4 run. Camden led 40-38 heading into the fourth.
 
But as NJCU did on the road against TCNJ on Wednesday, the Knights owned the final quarter. Camden shot just 23.5 percent in the final 10 minutes (4-23) and 1-of-10 from three-point range. NJCU regained the lead when Anderson drilled a jumper with 8:51 to go and pushed the margin to 46-42 on a McCrae basket before Pitts hit a triple with 6:21 left (46-45). But DiPopolo answered with 4:40 to go, bagging a trey for a 49-45 edge, and Edmond converted a pair from the line with 3:10 left to push the lead to six. That was more than enough as the NJCU defense did the rest, shutting the door on the Raptors, who had just one more field goal before scoring with three seconds left down 54-47.
 
NOTABLES:

• Series: 65th meeting, Camden now leads 38-27; NJCU has won the last three meetings.
• NJCU tied the single-season record for NJAC wins with eight. The program went 8-6 in 1988-89 when the league had eight teams and played a 14-game schedule rather than the current 18 games. It also went 8-10 during the 1998-99 campaign.
• Sarah Edmond (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) reached double figures in rebounding for the eighth time this year. Her previous career high was 15 rebounds on November 26 against Kean.
• Sarah Edmond's (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) 18 rebounds were the most for NJCU since Shege Haxhaj (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) had 19 against William Paterson on January 25, 2017.
• Aaliyah McCrae (Paterson, NJ/Manchester Regional) scored in double figures for just the second time; she had 10 against Rowan on January 25.
• NJCU's 11 wins are the most since going 14-13 while playing as an independent [non-NJAC] in 2004-05. Its 11 wins are the most in a season as a member of the NJAC since going 11-13 in 1998-99.

UP NEXT:

• In the final game of the regular season on Wednesday, February 19, NJCU will host Ramapo College at 6 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court). NJCU edged Ramapo on January 15 in Mahwah, N.J., 68-64, in overtime. NJCU will honor its two seniors, Hannah Johnson (Jersey City, NJ/Saint Dominic Academy) and Aaliyah McCrae (Paterson, NJ/Manchester Regional) in pregame Senior Day ceremonies.

 
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