STOCKTON DOWNS HUNTER, FUSSNER EARNS 300th WIN

Boxscore

Richard Stockton (11-4, 3-2 NJAC) placed five players in double figures and held on for an 89-85 victory over non-conference foe Hunter College (4-10).

The victory gave head coach Joe Fussner his 300th career win in 20 seasons at Stockton. The Ospreys prevailed after 18 lead changes as the teams battled back and forth.

Kelsey Brown (Washington Twp./Washington Twp.) scored a career-high 21 points and also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to pace the Ospreys. LaTonya Oliver (West Berlin/Overbrook) picked up her ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 boards.

Aspen Price-Perry (Lindenwold/Lindenwold) and Aliyah Nelson (Pleasantville/St. Joseph) added 15 points each, with Price-Perry dishing a career-high 12 assists as well. Nancy White (Ocean City/Ocean City) chipped in with 11 markers for Stockton

Stockton trailed 43-39 at the half as the Hawks’ Shatira Hamlet scored 10 of her 12 points to lead Hunter. The Ospreys led 31-24 with 7:24 remaining before Hunter used a 14-2 run to take the lead. Brown went 5-5 from the floor and led everyone with 11 first-half points.

The second half saw Stockton come back from six points down with 13:55 left to take a 67-65 lead on a three-point play by Oliver at the 9:01 mark. The Ospreys opened up a five-point lead that Hunter erased by outscoring Stockton 17-9 as Kristen Markoe caught fire with 11 points in a six-minute span to spark the Hawks to an 84-81 edge with 2:15 to play.

The Ospreys fought back one last time to seal the win as Nelson sank two free throws followed by a jumper that gave Stockton the lead for good at 85-84 with 1:15 to play. Oliver and Price-Perry finished off the Hawks with two points apiece to give Fussner his milestone victory. Fussner’s record now stands at 300-215 on the Stockton bench.

Hunter also had five players in double figures as Markoe went 4-8 from beyond the arc and tossed in 19 points. Alease Vaughn and Nicole Lenard added 14 markers apiece. Teammates Hamlet and Johanna Keilwitz chipped in with 12 and 11 points respectively.

Fussner has had three stints as Stockton's head coach (1982-85, 1987-89, 1997-present) that have spanned a total of 20 seasons. He has led the Ospreys to two NJAC championships (2000, 05) and 13 postseason appearances, including the program's only five NCAA Tournament berths (1984, 2000, 05, 06, 11) plus one ECAC title (2001).