The Profs toppled The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in the semi-final game in the New Jersey Athletic Championship (NJAC) Tuesday night in a packed gym at Rowan University. The Profs won easily, 82-62, and are on their way to the NJAC championship game.
The Profs started off slow only scoring nine points in the first quarter. This team is one of the youngest teams in the NJAC and you could see they were a little nervous. They had a few turnovers while TCNJ had full momentum.
“Our offense wasn’t really exciting,” said freshman guard Nicole Mallard. “We were missing easy shots and execution wasn’t good at first.”
The game totally turned around for the Profs in the second quarter. They outscored TCNJ 33-10 and showed why they’re the number one seed in the conference. Freshman guard Savanna Holt would hit a three-pointer two minutes into the second quarter to put Rowan down two and give them back the momentum. They would go on a 14-2 run.
“We were not the aggressor in the first quarter. They were,” said Head Coach Demetrius Poles. “We didn’t get any drives to the paint and we didn’t collapse the defense. We got it together in the second quarter and that second unit came in, they picked up their defense and it was great.”
Holt is part of that second unit and she had quite a game from behind the arc. She was 4-5 from three and finished with 12 points.
“Savanna is vital. She has a Kamikaze type of attitude,” Poles said. “She’s great for the team and she can bomb them. She can change the game with her deep three’s and she gives us momentum.”
Rowan had a 22 point lead by the end of the third quarter and just about everyone knew the Profs were on their way to the NJAC Championship game.
The Profs will play the #2 seed Montclair State on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in Glassboro for the NJAC title. They split the season series with Montclair and Rowan will be riding a seven-game winning streak going into Friday.
“We’re prepared for them and they’re a great team,” Poles said. “So, it’s going to be a tough game but we’re fearless. We’ll be ready to play.”
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