JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The New Jersey City University women's basketball team put on a long-fought battle against New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) competitor, Kean University. The Gothic Knights went back and forth with the Cougars, ultimately falling 65-59 by the final buzzer. The contest took place tonight, Dec. 8, at the Green and Gold's home court, the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC).
Jersey City (3-1, 1-3 NJAC) started the game strong with a three-point basket by junior captain Laney Fox (Parkland, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons). The Gothic Knights took the lead while the Cougars (5-5, 3-1 NJAC) remained scoreless for the first couple minutes. In the second quarter, the Cougars took the lead after a period of back-and-forth action. Intensity rose for the remainder of the game when NJCU came back to lead 24-18 in the last three minutes. With 10 seconds remaining, freshman Liyah Allen (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) made a layup, putting the Green and Gold up 26-23 to close the half.
Both teams battled up and down the court, still tied 45-45 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter. Kean made a fast break attempt down the court for a shot but was blocked by junior Jada Camacho (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson). The crowd stayed at the edge of its seat going into the fourth quarter – multiple fouls later, the Cougars pulled away from the Gothic Knights to lead 58-50 in the final five minutes. NJCU was unable to come back from the gap, ending the game 65-59.
Sophomore captain Damaris Rodriguez (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) ended with a team-high 18 points, followed by Fox with 14 and Allen and Camacho, who both had eight. Allen led all players with a game-high 14 rebounds, followed by Camacho and Fox, who had 10 and nine rebounds, respectively. Rodriguez ended with five assists, along with Camacho, who tallied three assists and four blocks. Fox had the team-high three steals in tonight's contest.
What's Next:
Jersey City will travel to Ewing, N.J., to play The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) on Saturday, Dec. 11. This will be the team's fifth NJAC contest of the season – NJCU ended the Lions' longtime reign in last year's abbreviated 2020 season, and look to do it again.
