GLASSBORO, NJ (January 26, 2023)– Rowan won its fourth game in a row as the Profs took down TCNJ, 60-45, in NJAC action at Esbjornson Gymnasium Wednesday night.
Nicole Mallard netted a team-high 15 points while Grace Marshall scored nine of her 13 points in the final quarter. Dakota Adams was the top Rowan rebounder with eight, while Marshall handed out three assists as well.
Leading 38-32 heading into the fourth, the Profs opened the stanza on a 10-0 run and held a double-digit cushion the rest of the way. Rowan held the Lions to just one three-pointer in the second half and turned 20 TCNJ turnovers into 18 points on the evening.
For TCNJ, Izzy Leazier led the Lions with 16 points. Teammate Kaitlyn Deiter added nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Profs hit just one field goal in its first 10 attempts to start the game, but closed the stanza with a 3-for-8 effort from the floor to trail only by two (13-11).
The offense started to find its groove in the second quarter, going over 61% including a big three in the closing seconds before halftime from rookie Ny’emah Middleton that put the home team up by four (30-26).
Marshall scored five points in the game-changing spurt in the fourth. Her triple was followed up by another big three ball from Kristina Johnson on the right wing, to help open up a 14-point advantage with 7:10 remaining. The Profs kept that 10-point lead for the remainder of the game to pick up its eighth NJAC win.
Next up for Rowan is a road matchup at Ramapo on Saturday in a 3 p.m. tip.
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Rowan Men’s Basketball Wins 8th Straight, Defeating TCNJ, 83-65
GLASSBORO, NJ (January 26, 2023)– The Rowan men’s basketball put together a strong second half to defeat TCNJ, 83-65, at Esby Gym, while extending its winning streak to eight and improving to 12-0 in the NJAC. Ja’Zere Noel had 20 points, Josh Wright scored 17 and Marcellus Ross added 13 to lead the 16-3 Profs.
Holding a 40-39 lead at halftime, the Profs outscored TCNJ, 12-5, early in the second half to go ahead, 52-45. After Wright was fouled on a three-pointer, he converted all three shots and started a 13-2 run over the course of eight minutes that allowed the Profs to build up an 18-point margin, 69-51, with 5:45 remaining.
The Profs took their first 20-point lead of the game, 73-53, on a jumper by D’Andre Vilmar at 4:05 and then coasted the rest of the way.
Rowan’s defense stymied TCNJ (7-12; 6-6) in the second half as the Lions shot only 30 percent from the field after hitting 57 percent in the first half. The Profs also outscored TCNJ, 46-23, in the second half despite missing all six of their three-point attempts.
TCNJ was hot at the start, making seven of its first 13 shots to take a 20-14 lead midway through the first half. Trailing 29-25, Rowan scored nine straight, which included a dunk by Vilmar and a three-pointer from Ross, to take a 34-29 lead.
Rowan, which entered the game as the nation’s leader in free throws made (21) and free throw attempted (29), made 15-of-21, led by Wright, who was 9-for-10 from the line.
Rowan heads on the road on Saturday for the second meeting with Ramapo this year, with a 1 p.m. tip-off.
