JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Feb. 15, 2023) – Junior guard Damaris Rodriguez scored 15 points in the first quarter on her way to a 26-point game as the New Jersey City University women's basketball team clinched the regular-season conference title with a 63-52 victory over Rutgers University-Camden here Wednesday night.
 
NJCU improved to 14-10 overall and 14-4 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference with its fifth straight win.
 
Rutgers-Camden closed its season at 4-21 overall and 2-16 in the NJAC. Although the Scarlet Raptors lead the all-time series, 39-31, over the Gothic Knights, NJCU has won the last seven games between the teams.
 
Rutgers-Camden took an early 5-2 lead, with all five points being scored by sophomore forward Ariana Garcia. NJCU scored the next 15 points, taking the lead for good at 7-5 on a layup by sophomore forward/center Briana Davis, to build a 17-5 lead before Rutgers-Camden cut its deficit to 17-9 at the end of the opening quarter.
 
The Scarlet Raptors extended their run to eight straight points to start the second quarter, cutting the gap to 17-13, before the Gothic Knights went on a 12-2 run to open up the game. By halftime, they led by a 33-22 score.
 
Rodriguez, who has a good chance of being named the NJAC Player of the Year, scored all 15 of her first-half points in the opening quarter for NJCU. Senior guard/forward Rahzirah Blocker netted eight points in the opening 20 minutes for Rutgers-Camden, while Garcia had five.
 
NJCU led, 49-38, after three quarters, but behind five points from junior guard Jania Pitts and three from Garcia, the Scarlet Raptors cut NJCU's lead to 52-46 midway through the fourth quarter. The Scarlet Raptors trailed, 54-48 with 4:44 remaining in the game and it was a 56-50 game with 4:15 remaining after a layup by senior guard/forward Jalissa Pitts. That was the closest the Scarlet Raptors came the rest of the way.
 
Rodriguez shot 10-for-23 from the floor, including 4-for-9 from three-point range, and was 2-for-4 from the foul line on the way to another big night. The NJAC's scoring leader also collected eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Davis and senior guard Jada Camacho also added eight rebounds to tie for the team high.
 
Blocker finished with 17 points for the Raptors, while Jalissa Pitts had 13. Both Jania Pitts and Garcia collected 10 points, with Garcia's total setting a career high. Jania Pitts collected a game- and career-high 12 rebounds for the Scarlet Raptors, while Garcia and senior guard Abigail Sampona added seven apiece, one shy of tying the career high for both players.
 
Jania Pitts led the Raptors with a game-high four assists and Jalissa Pitts had a game-high three steals.
 
Blocker, who played 42 games in her two seasons at Rutgers-Camden, finished her career with 676 points. Sampona, who played 54 games in her three seasons as a Scarlet Raptor, completed her career with 79 assists and 41 steals.
 
Jalissa Pitts completed her four-year Raptor career with 74 games played and 1,1Jalissa Pitts completed her four-year Raptor career with 74 games played and 1,114 points, moving into 13th place on the program's all-time scoring list, one point past Nelly Cruz (1988-91). Pitts also closed her career with 528 rebounds (12th), 122 steals (23rd) and 129 assists (22nd).
 
NJCU shot 25-for-86 (29.1 percent) from the floor, while Rutgers-Camden was 21-for-66 (31.8), but the Gothic Knights held a 65-45 advantage off the boards.