College of New Jersey 69, Stockton 58

LaTonya Oliver

Boxscore
Richard Stockton (5-17, 2-9) hung tough in a solid effort but came up short 69-58 against College of New Jersey (18-4, 8-2), which had defeated the Ospreys by 27 points a month earlier. LaTonya Oliver (West Berlin/Overbrook) paced Stockton with 17 points and eight rebounds. The freshman has now grabbed at least eight rebounds in eight straight games. Aliyah Nelson (Pleasantville/St. Joseph) also scored in double digits for the Ospreys as the rookie point guard tallied 12 points and dished four assists.

In the first half, the game swung back-and-forth, with neither team holding more than a four-point lead. Stockton led 6-2 early as Ashley Hart (Pt. Pleasant Beach/Peddie School) and Kelley Guarrera (Shamong/Shawnee) hit three-pointers on the Ospreys’ first two possessions. TCNJ took a four-point advantage late in the half and led 30-27 at the end of a period that featured a whopping 13 lead changes. Five of Stockton’s 11 field goals were three-pointers, including two by Hart.

In the second half, Stockton briefly led on two separate occasions, first at 31-30 on a jumper by Oliver and then at 33-32 on a bucket by Nelson. TCNJ answered by scoring 10 consecutive points for a 42-33 advantage with 14:31 on the clock. The Ospreys chipped away at their deficit and pulled within 51-49 after Alyssa Reiter (Sewell/Gloucester Catholic) scored four consecutive points. TCNJ halted the rally with five unanswered points and pulled away late for the 69-58 final score.