BRUNSWICK, Maine — For the second time in three seasons, the New Jersey City University women's basketball program competed in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Gothic Knights took on #RV/24 UMass Dartmouth on Friday, March 1, and went back and forth with the Corsairs all afternoon. NJCU led by as many as three on a few occasions, including with just over 2:00 let in regulation. However, UMD was able to close out the game on a 12-1 run and defeat the Green and Gold, 78-69.



It was a slow start for NJCU (19-9), as the Gothic Knights shot just 20.5 percent from the field in the first half and trailed UMass-Dartmouth (24-4), 31-23. Sophomore guard Elyssa Russo (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) was key in that first half of play for the Gothic Knights, keeping them within striking distance with seven of her nine points on the day. The Green and Gold closed the gap slightly in the third, outscoring the Corsairs by three to cut the lead to just five with one quarter to go.

Senior All-American point guard Damaris Rodriguez (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus), after scoring just four points in the first half, came alive in the third with 12 of her team-high 24 points on the afternoon. UMD did jump out to a handful of 10-point leads in the third, but it was the Gothic Knights who would not quit, using a 10-2 run to make it just a two-point game at 47-45 with 35 seconds remaining in the quarter.

The Corsairs built that lead back up to seven at 55-48 with 8:33 to go in regulation. At that point, the Gothic Knights turned it on, going on a 12-2 run to take their first lead of the night since 9:01 in the first quarter. Senior center Jimmirah Johnson (Prospect Park, N.J./International) — she had an outstanding day for NJCU prior to fouling out late in the fourth — started the run off with a bucket underneath, followed by sophomore guard Tahirah Kelley's (Linden, N.J./Immaculate Conception) three-point play. After UMD hit a couple of foul shots, Rodriguez drilled back-to-back jumpers, including one from three, to put NJCU in front. Johnson closed out the run with another lay-in to make it 60-57 with 4:35 left.

At that point, both squads traded the lead back and fourth for the next several minutes of play before NJCU once again got up by three on a couple more occasions, including as late as 68-65 with just 2:02 on the clock. Then, the most crucial moment of the game came with the Gothic Knights trailing by just one with 00:50 on the clock. UMass-Dartmouth drew a foul underneath, but the play resulted in both a personal foul and a team tech on the bench, giving the Corsairs four foul shots and possession — they made all four and followed with a lay-in to take a commanding seven-point, 76-69 lead with just 00:29 to go.

Highlights:
- With the completion of the season, NJCU's 19 wins are officially the most in the program's 54-year history.
- Along with their two NCAA berths in three years, the Gothic Knights have won three New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships in four seasons, and look to do it again next season.
- Johnson was dominant down low, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with six rebounds and three blocks.