The Rowan women’s basketball team faced off against Stockton for the third time this season Tuesday night. But that final matchup, a playoff semifinal, carried more weight: the chance to move on to the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament final.
By game’s end, the Profs found themselves celebrating on the court, the scoreboard showing a 70-59 victory for the home team.
“I think we played some of our best basketball yet,” said sophomore guard Summer Crilley, who had a career night with 18 points. “That right there was Rowan basketball.”
Despite being outscored by the Ospreys 15-13 in the second quarter, Rowan ended the first half with a 31-28 lead. The team closed the second quarter on a 7-4 run.
“We were getting great offensive opportunities, but our shooting was so tight. We told them to relax,” head coach Gabby Lisella said. “We were getting opportunities, defensively playing great, [so] just relax and pretend you’re in a drill shooting these shots. I think we did a better job of that in the second half.”
The Profs heard the advice; it was evident in their second-half numbers. The brown and gold shot 50 percent overall, including 43 percent from beyond the arc, compared to 26 percent overall and 30 percent from three to start.
Rowan (22-4) heads to top-seeded Montclair State for the NJAC Championship game on Friday. Montclair was the only team to beat Rowan in Glassboro this season.
“We are on cloud nine right now. It’s been a long time since we’ve even made the championship so just the fact that we got there is huge,” Crilley said. “We can’t believe it. All of our hard work is paying off.”
Rowan 70, Stockton 59
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Sophomore guard Summer Crilley- career-high 18 points (2-of-3 3PT), 2 assists, 3 rebounds
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