College Basketball: Raptor of the Week: Jennifer Christy Monday, December 11, 2006 By Mike Ballard RutgersCamden Sports Correspondent RAPTOR OF THE WEEK Jennifer Christy (Malaga, NJ/Delsea Regional) Junior forward Jennifer Christy collected 34 points, 21 rebounds, three assists, five blocked shots and two steals in three games last week for the Rutgers-Camden women’s basketball team. Most impressively, however, is what she did at the foul line, nailing 18 of 20 foul shots, including 6-for-6 against Elizabethtown (Dec. 4) and 2-for-2 against Richard Stockton (Dec. 6). Although she missed her first foul shot of the season against William Paterson (Dec. 9), she recovered to shoot 10-for-12 from the line, including the last eight in a row. The miss ended her season-opening streak of successful foul shots at 19, setting a new program record. MEN’S BASKETBALL (4-3 overall/ 0-2 NJAC) December Wed. 6* Richard Stockton College 79, Rutgers-Camden 55 Sat. 9* William Paterson University 82, Rutgers-Camden 35 Upcoming Games Tues. 12 Baptist Bible College 6 p.m. Thurs. 14* at Montclair State University 7 p.m. Sat. 16 Elizabethtown College 3 p.m. January Wed. 3 at Juniata College 8 p.m. Fri. 5 Widener University 7 p.m. CYRUS D. JONES INVITATIONAL (at Lincoln University, PA) Sat. 6 Keystone College at Lincoln University 7 p.m. Sun. 7 Rutgers-Camden vs. Keystone College 2 p.m. Mon. 8 Rutgers-Camden at Lincoln University 4 p.m. Wed. 10* at Rowan University 6 p.m. Wed. 17* The College of New Jersey 8 p.m. The Rutgers-Camden men’s basketball team opened its New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule during the week with its first two home games of the season. The Raptors not only faced two of the traditional powers in the NJAC, but also had to compete against one of the top programs in the country, as NJAC foe William Paterson University entered its game in Camden ranked No. 12 nationally in Division III. Richard Stockton and William Paterson went on to post victories over the Raptors, as the Ospreys won 79-55 Dec. 6 and the Pioneers captured an 82-35 decision on Dec. 9. The loss to Stickton snapped the Scarlet Raptors’ four-game winning streak, which was the program’s longest since another four-game streak Nov. 24-Dec. 1, 2001. In the loss to Richard Stockton, junior guard Mario Lancioni scored 14 points, freshman guard Kevin Brown netted 12 and junior forward Jon Greene added 10 to lead a balanced attack for the Ospreys, who broke a two-game losing streak. The loss snapped the Scarlet Raptors’ four-game winning streak, which was the program’s longest since another four-game streak Nov. 24-Dec. 1, 2001. The victory continued the Osprey’s dominance over the Scarlet Raptors. Stockton has won the last 44 head-to-head battles against Rutgers-Camden and now holds a 52-7 lead in the all-time series. Rutgers-Camden’s last win came on Jan. 25, 1984 by an 84-79 score at Stockton. The lead changed hands four times in the opening half, with Stockton finally holding a 27-24 advantage at the break, led by six points apiece from Lancioni and junior guard Fran Kelly. For Rutgers-Camden, senior forward Sydney Francis (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) notched 11 first-half points. The Ospreys scored the first five points of the second half, sparked by a trey from Kelly, and went on to outscore the Raptors, 18-8, in the opening five minutes, building their lead to 45-33. Rutgers-Camden never came closer than 10 points the rest of the way. Stockton shot 77.8 percent (21-for-27) in the second half to finish 31-for-49 (63.3) for the game, while holding Rutgers-Camden to only 29.6 percent (16-for-54) from the field. The Ospreys also held a slim 32-30 advantage off the boards, led by six rebounds from Brown. Lancioni added a game-high five assists for Stockton. For Rutgers-Camden, Francis and sophomore forward Antoine Miller (Camden, NJ/Medical Arts) each scored 13 points, while freshman guard Joshua Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) added 11. Senior guard Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) collected seven rebounds to pace the Raptors. Later in the week, it took a while for William Paterson to hit its stride, but when the Pioneers started clicking, they fully resembled a nationally-ranked team. Paterson, ranked No. 12 in the latest d3hoops.com Top 25, overcame an early seven-point deficit, aided by a blistering 29-1 first-half run, and went on to defeat Rutgers University-Camden, 82-35. William Paterson, 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the NJAC, has won nine straight games and 36 of the last 37 against Rutgers-Camden. The Scarlet Raptors’ lone win in that span was a 69-68 victory in Camden Feb. 6, 2002. The Pioneers now hold a 44-5 lead in the all-time series. Rutgers-Camden (4-3, 0-2) built an early 7-0 lead and held an 11-5 margin with 12:29 left in the first half following a foul shot by Francis. The Scarlet Raptors didn’t score again for 10:03, during which time the Pioneers rattled off 25 consecutive points to take a commanding 30-11 lead. After Rutgers-Camden broke the drought on a foul shot by Miller, Paterson finished out the half with a 10-3 run to take a 40-15 halftime lead. The Pioneers’ full-court press forced the Raptors into 22 first-half turnovers and 36 for the game. Paterson shot 53.7 percent from the field (29-for-54), while Rutgers-Camden shot 10-for-38 (26.3). William Paterson placed three players in double figures in the scoring column, led by junior guard Joey Spiegel, who canned 13. Freshman guard Joseph Ellis scored 11, while senior forward Luis Martinez added 10. Paterson also held a 36-27 advantage off the boards, with senior forward John Rother grabbing a game-high seven rebounds. Rutgers-Camden received eight points from Francis, while sophomore guard Wayne Smalls (Camden, NJ/Medical Arts) added seven. Miller paced the team with five rebounds. Nicholson had a game-high five steals, giving him 133 career steals and moving him past Don Polk (1989-1992) for third on the Rutgers-Camden career list. Polk had 129 career steals. Nicholson added six points to give him 896 for his career. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (3-5 overall/0-3 NJAC) December Mon. 4 Elizabethtown College 75, Rutgers-Camden 58 Wed. 6* Richard Stockton College 66, Rutgers-Camden 56 Sat. 9* William Paterson University 72, Rutgers-Camden 48 Upcoming Games Mon. 4 at Elizabethtown College 7:30 p.m. Wed. 6* Richard Stockton College 6 p.m. Sat. 9* William Paterson University 1 p.m. Tues. 12 at College of Staten Island 7 p.m. January Wed. 3 at Juniata College 6 p.m. DIVERSIFIED INVITATIONAL (at University of Scranton, PA) Fri. 5 Goucher College vs. Stevens Tech 5 p.m. Rutgers-Camden vs. University of Scranton 7 p.m. Sat. 6 Consolation 1 p.m. Championship 3 p.m. Mon. 8 King’s College 6 p.m. Wed. 10* at Rowan University 8 p.m. Wed. 17* The College of New Jersey 6 p.m. After winning three of their first four games to start the season, the Lady Raptors find themselves in a four-game losing streak, including three losses in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. After losing their first NJAC game at Montclair State Dec. 2, the Raptors had an 0-3 mark in three games last week, including a non-conference road game at Elizabethtown College (a 75-58 loss Dec. 4) and back-to-back home NJAC defeats against Richard Stockton College (66-56, Dec. 6) and William Paterson University (72-48, Dec. 9). In their first game of the week, the Raptors watched junior guard Erin Walton collect game-high totals of 35 points and 11 rebounds to lead Elizabethtown College to a 75-58 victory. Walton shot 14-for-28 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, and shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line for the Blue Jays. Elizabethtown, which grabbed a 37-25 halftime lead, also received 17 points from sophomore guard Megan Quinn, while junior forward Audrey Hitz added 10 rebounds. Elizabethtown shot 41.5 (27-for-65) from the field, including 6-for-12 (50 percent) from three-point range. The Blue Jays also went 15-for-22 (68.2) from the foul line. Rutgers-Camden shot 30.3 percent (20-for-66), including 5-for-17 (29.4) from three-point range. The Raptors were 13-for-21 (61.9) from the foul line, led by a 6-for-6 effort by junior forward Jennifer Christy (Malaga, NJ/Delsea Regional). Christy finished with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots. Junior guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional) notched 15 points for the Raptors. She added seven rebounds and a game-high eight steals. Senior center Karen Carter (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) collected nine points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Krystal Jankowski (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) also notched seven rebounds. Jankowski added eight points, two steals and five assists. In the Raptors’ first NJAC home game of the year, junior guard Lisa Neira scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the second half and senior center Alicia Morris added 14 points to power tRichard Stockton College to a 66-56 win Dec. 6. Sophomore forward Jenn Russell added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Ospreys, while Morris had seven boards. Stockton grabbed a 27-19 halftime lead in a first half which featured a combined 23 turnovers, including 13 by Rutgers-Camden. The Ospreys shot 10-for-25 (40 percent) from the field, while the Raptors were 8-for-31 (25.8). Neira and Morris each scored eight points in the opening half for the Ospreys. Morris also collected all four of her blocked shots in the opening half. The Raptors received six points from sophomore forward Crystal Pezzano (Brockton, MA/Brockton) in the opening 20 minutes. Rutgers-Camden received a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds from Carter, while Christy added 12 points and seven boards. Hafiz collected three steals, giving her 209 for her career and moving into third place on the program’s all-time list. She passed Karla Robinson, who had 208 between 1990-94. Hafiz also added six points, seven rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Her previous high in assists was eight, set against Lincoln University Nov. 19, 2005. For the game, Stockton shot 26-for-51 (51 percent), including 16-for-26 (61.5) in the second half. Rutgers-Camden shot 23-for-57 (40.4). In the loss to William Paterson, the Pioneers raced to a 39-16 halftime lead and went on to defeat the Raptors. The Pioneers, who have won five straight games, improved to 7-2 overall and 3-0 in the NJAC. The Lady Raptors fell to 3-5 and 0-3. After both teams went scoreless for the opening 3:28, Paterson rattled off eight straight points and notched 18 of the first 21 points. The Pioneers held the Raptors scoreless until Hafiz converted a three-point play 5:43 into the game. Paterson has won seven straight games against Rutgers-Camden and holds a 38-9 lead in the all-time series. The last Rutgers-Camden win came Feb. 8, 2003 by a 65-41 score in Camden. The Pioneers’ quick 18-3 start was sparked by junior guard Michelle Pellichero, who scored six of their first 18 points. By halftime, senior guard Luci Custis had all 11 of her team-high points. In addition to Custis, freshman guard Julie Haledjian finished with 10 points for the Pioneers. Senior forward Meghan Ludgate and sophomore forward Asia Johnson each grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for the Pioneers, who held a 45-42 advantage off the boards. For Rutgers-Camden, Christy collected 14 points, including 10-for-12 shooting from the foul line, and added seven rebounds. Christy missed her first foul shot, ending her season-opening streak at 19 consecutive foul shots, which sets a new program record. The old mark of 18 straight was shared by Audrey Pugh (Dec. 23, 1980-Jan. 6, 1981) and Joy Silver (Nov. 24-Dec. 14, 2002). After hitting 2-for-4 from the line, Christy nailed her last eight foul shots to begin another long streak. Jankowski had a game-high eight boards for the Raptors. Paterson shot 23-for-67 (34.3) and Rutgers-Camden was 13-for-47 (27.7), but the Raptors made 33 turnovers to the Pioneers’ 21. The Pioneers return to action Monday with a 6 p.m. non-conference game at FDU-Florham. The Lady Raptors play their final game of the semester Tuesday with a 7 p.m. non-conference contest at the College of Staten Island. INDOOR TRACK December Sat. 9 Winter Invitational (at Ursinus College) Men: 1. Cheyney University, 130; 2. Johns Hopkins University, 114; 3. Ursinus College, 61.50; 4. Haverford College, 45.50; 5. Virginia State University, 43; 6. Frostburg State University, 38; 7. Widener University, 25; 8. Catholic University, 24.50; 9. Keystone College and Villanova University, 21; 11. College Misericordia, 11.50; 12. Rutgers-Camden, 10; 13. Gwynedd-Mercy College, 9; 14. Richard Stockton College, 8; 15. Delaware Valley College, 6; 16. Albright College, 4; 17. Medgar Evers, 3. The Rutgers University-Camden indoor track team opened its season with a pair of school records at the Winter Invitational Dec. 9 at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Penn. The Scarlet Raptors’ 4x800-meter relay team posted a program-record time of 8:23.02 to finish third in its event and the 4x400 team posted a record time of 3:35.17 to finish fifth. Those teams produced 10 points to give the Raptors enough for a 12th-place finish out of 17 teams in the event won by Cheyney University (130 points). The Lady Raptors didn’t compete in the 17-team women’s competition, which was won by Towson University (157 points). The Rutgers-Camden 4x800 team of freshmen Frank Iwaniki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) and Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) and sophomores Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) and anchor Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) beat the old mark of 8:30.13 set by Stewart, Chris McGowan, Darryl Mendillo and Salamon at the NJAC Indoor Championships Feb. 19, 2006. The Raptors’ record-setting 4x400 team included Salamon, Lloyd, sophomore Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) and anchor Iwanicki broke the program mark of 3:51.86 set by Taiwan Lamb, Salamon, Patrick Eigbe and Darryl Mendillo at the Frank Colden Invitational Feb. 4, 2006. Also competing for the Scarlet Raptors was sophomore Brandon Gordon (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township), who finished 15th in the 3,000-meter run in a time of 9:54.29.