North Branch, NJ - The RVCC women's basketball team knew they were up against a big challenge on Tuesday night. The visiting Union County College Owls were National Runner-Ups last year and RVCC hadn't beaten the Cranford based team in over a decade. In what would go down as one of the biggest wins in recent Women's Basketball history, the Lions would defeat their Region XIX foe 58-51 in a very closely contested battle.
Entering the game the Lions knew that if they were to have a chance against the Owls they would need to keep UCC out of the paint and off of the glass. While they weren't able to do it on every single possession, the Lions' game plan was working and Union was forced to settle for long distance three point attempts. Undersized at nearly every position the Lions made up for a difference in height with a difference in heart. Every starter on the team grabbed at least four boards and the Lions had eight offensive rebounds on the night as a team.
The first quarter saw the Lions down four, 10-14, after they were able to set the tone on the defensive end. Down 16-14 with six minutes to go in the second quarter, sophomore guard Ali McGrath got fouled attempting a three-point shot. She stepped to the line and proceeded to knock down all three attempts to put the Lions up one, 17-16. It was impossible to predict at that moment, but that would be the last time the Owls ever held a lead all night long. The Lions outscored the Owls 9-0 during the final 5:43 seconds of the first half.
In the third quarter the Owls turned up their defensive pressure, forced the Lions into turnovers, and turned those steals into transition layups. Just as the Owls thought things were going their way, the Lions always seemed to respond. A big three-point shot from McGrath, an and-one from Evelyn Nunez, an offensive rebound by Dyliany De Leon, a dime by Precious Allah, or a great steal from Juliet Schott always seemed to pop up at the perfect time for the Lions. However, it was sophomore Morenike Akinrefon that stole the show on that special night. Akinrefon finished with a season high 29 points to go along with 11 rebounds. When the Lions needed a bucket or a board, Akinrefon came through. Up as many as eleven points in the third quarter the Lions saw their lead come all the way down to 1 point as they led 46-45 with just over 5 minutes to play. With just under twenty seconds to play and the Lions up three, 54-51 the Owls sent De Leon to the free throw line. De Leon calmly stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws and the Owls missed a three on the ensuing possession. Akinrefon gobbled up the board and knocked down both free throws to seal the victory for the Lions.
"Our sophomores were up two at half-time last year and up four this year going into the half against Union" coach Phil Herro stated after the game. "We might only have six, and we might all be under 5' 7", but we have heart and we're tough. We knew that if we played how we were capable, we could beat this team. Up until tonight this team had accomplished a lot, but they had never beaten Union County. They wanted this badly. After our loss to Mercer, coach Jibs (Lion's 3rd year assistant coach Gibran Pervez) came up to me and said "we gotta feed Mo". And that's what our girls did. That's why I love this group, and that's why I love coach Jibby. His dedication to the game, and this team put us in position to come away with the biggest win in our time here. And the selflessness of our team coupled with their desire to win allowed us to change our offense 25 games into the season. There's no denying Mo's impact on today's game and we definitely wouldn't be celebrating if it wasn't for her. But this was a team effort, a well-designed game plan by Coach Jibs, and one heck of a performance by a truly special player."
The Lions now sit at 17-9 on the season and 6-7 in Region XIX play. The Lions host NJCAA Division I ASA College on Saturday 2/15 at 12 P.M.