MAHWAH, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's basketball team was unable to overcome a tough second-quarter performance on Wednesday night, Dec. 6, on the road at Ramapo College. Ultimately, the Gothic Knights — who overcame large deficits throughout the game — were unable to claw back in and were dealt their first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) defeat of the season, 58-48 at the Roadrunners.

NJCU (5-3, 3-1 NJAC) stayed with Ramapo (4-5, 2-2 NJAC) throughout the first quarter, even leading by one at 14-13 with 3:14 to go in the period before ending the first 10 minutes down by three at 17-14. However, after scoring the final four points of the first, the Roadrunners started off the season with five straight points to cap off a 9-0 run to take an eight-point, 22-14 lead with 7:32 remaining in the half. The home team eventually stretched that out to a 15-point advantage, which the Gothic Knights cut down to 12 at the break, trailing 32-20.

Ramapo looked to put NJCU away in the third, going up by 19 at one point, but the Gothic Knights could not be finished. Trailing 43-24, the Green and Gold used a 10-0 run — including going 6-for-6 from the foul line — to cut the lead back down to single digits at nine points. The Roadrunners closed out the quarter with a jumper to take a 45-34 lead into the fourth. The home team eventually got out to a game-high 21-point lead at 55-34 with 6:11 to go in regulation.

But once again, the Gothic Knights roared back, this time with a 14-0 run to cut it back down to a seven-point game at 55-48 with just 1:10 remaining — senior guard Damaris Rodriguez (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) scored six of those points, with five coming from sophomore guard Tahirah Kelley (Linden, N.J./Immaculate Conception). Ramapo was only 3-for-6 from the stripe in the final minute, but NJCU was unable to connect on their attempts, going 0-for-4 from the floor, including 0-for-3 from three-point range, over that same time frame before the game ended at 58-48 in favor of the Roadrunners.

Highlights:
- Rodriguez finished with a game-high-tying 17 points to go with a team-high-tying five rebounds, a game-best four steals and an assist.
- Ramapo capitalized on the boards, out-rebounding NJCU 41-27 as the Gothic Knights were short several primary forwards on the night.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights look to rebound back at home on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 9, for a 1:00 p.m. NJAC tilt against Kean University on Coach Charlie Brown Court at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC).