News Release

BROOKLYN, NY… — CAROLINA GARCIA’S CAREER-HIGH 20 POINTS LIFTS NJCU, 79-66

Freshman guard CAROLINA GARCIA (Franklin Park, NJ/Franklin) notched a career and game-high 20 points, and senior point guard LATRESE McNAIR (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) netted 14 points, nine assists and four steals, moving into 15th place in Division III history in steals and sixth place on the NJCU scoring list, as the Gothic Knights defeated St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn, 79-66, in a non-conference women’s basketball game played at Bishop Loughlin High School.

With the win, NJCU (4-10), snaps a two-game losing skid. The Bears fall to 7-11 overall. NJCU evened the all-time series, 1-1. NJCU collected a combined 25 assists as a team—the most since tallying 26 against Mitchell College on February 2, 2005.

Garcia, who had not scored more than eight points in a single-game and who had only tallied 33 points in her first 12 collegiate games, was 7-of-14 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line, scoring 20 points, along with four assists.

McNair played a full 40 minutes, scoring 14 (5-14 FG; 2-5 3FG) with nine assists and four steals. The four steals gives her 417 in her career, tying Western Connecticut State’s Linda Zapon (1996-99) for 15th place in Division III history. Now with 1,037 career points, McNair passed Shondelle Browne (1,025 points, 1999-03) for sixth place in school history.

Five players reached double figures for NJCU in the victory. Junior guard NATASHIA CLACKLEY (Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch) posted a season-high 14 points—just two shy of her career best—including 12 points in the first half. She had scored just 15 points in her first 10 games of the season. She shot 7-of-13, adding five assists and five rebounds. Senior guard BERNICE AMADEO (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) tallied 12 points, including 3-of-9 three-pointers, and had four assists, while junior forward ARNESE GOODMAN (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) added 10 points.

The Bears received a double-double of 20 points (7-8 FG) and 12 rebounds from junior center Svetlana Medvedeva (Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln). Senior guard Lynette Reyes (Brooklyn, NY/Christ The King) had 12 points (4-18 FG) and five rebounds, while junior guard Annamarie Ciorciari (Maspeth, Queens/Archbishop Molloy) added 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. Freshman center Julia Serewko (Queens, NY/Mary Louis) totaled nine points and eight caroms.

There were five lead changes and eight ties during the contest. The Bears opened up an early 14-4 lead as Medvedeva scored five points during a 9-0 run. SJC held its largest lead of the game, 18-7 at 13:11.

But NJCU, which has allowed several double-figure leads to evaporate this season saw the roles reverse in this contest, as the Gothic Knights tied the game at 21-21 with 9:05 left off a 14-3 spurt. Clackley scored six points during the streak, which was capped by a triple by rookie guard JERICA HAYES (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne). There were four ties in the opening period, before NJCU went to the break ahead 43-40.

Each time NJCU opened a brief lead at the start of the second half, SJC would tie it, including 54-54 with 11:44 remaining. But after Garcia converted two free throws at 10:56, NJCU would not trail again, uncorking a 10-2 spurt. NJCU pulled in front 64-56 off a Garcia jumper with 6:26 left, who scored five points during the run.

SJC trimmed the lead to 64-60 with 4:04 left, before a three-point play by Goodman and an Amadeo trey made it 70-60. A Goodman layup made it 72-60, and NJCU’s largest lead was 14, 76-62 with 1:07 left. NJCU scored 27 points off 27 St. Joe’s turnovers, and connected on seven three-pointers, versus just 1-of-7 by the Bears (.143).

NJCU will return to action on Saturday, January 20 at 5 p.m. when it hosts Richard Stockton College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest on Homecoming weekend at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—

Newspaper Box Score
New Jersey City University vs St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn
01/17/07 7:30 pm at Brooklyn, NY (Bishop Loughlin HS)
At Brooklyn, NY (Bishop Loughlin HS)
NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY 79, ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE-BROOKLYN 66
NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY (4-10)
Carolina Garcia 7-14 5-6 20; Natashia Clackley 7-13 0-0 14; Latrese McNair
5-14 2-4 14; Bernice Amadeo 3-10 3-6 12; Arnese Goodman 4-10 2-3 10; Jerica
Hayes 2-6 0-0 5; Trisha Sanon 1-3 0-0 2; Alexis Chavez 1-1 0-0 2; Tiffany
Adams 0-0 0-0 0; Michelle Vasquez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-72 12-19 79.
ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE-BROOKLYN (7-11)
Svetlana Medvedeva 7-8 6-9 20; Lynette Reyes 4-18 4-4 13; Annamarie
Ciorciari 4-12 3-5 11; Julia Serewko 4-7 1-3 9; Desiree DeJesus 2-3 1-1 5;
Kristen Weppler 2-3 0-0 4; Tara Deahn 0-3 2-2 2; Kaitlin O'Neill 1-5 0-0 2;
Danielle Kramer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 17-24 66.
New Jersey City University....   43   36  -   79
St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn.   40   26  -   66
3-point goals--New Jersey City University 7-23 (Bernice Amadeo 3-9; Latrese
McNair 2-5; Jerica Hayes 1-4; Carolina Garcia 1-3; Arnese Goodman 0-2), St.
Joseph's College-Brooklyn 1-7 (Lynette Reyes 1-5; Annamarie Ciorciari 0-1;
Kaitlin O'Neill 0-1). Fouled out--New Jersey City University-Arnese Goodman,
St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn-None. Rebounds--New Jersey City University 37
(Carolina Garcia 5; Natashia Clackley 5), St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn 46
(Svetlana Medvedeva 12). Assists--New Jersey City University 25 (Latrese
McNair 9), St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn 12 (Annamarie Ciorciari 3). Total
fouls--New Jersey City University 23, St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn 18.
Technical fouls--New Jersey City University-None, St. Joseph's
College-Brooklyn-None. A-34