Rowan guard Thomas Baker and NJCU guard Latrese McNair were named NJAC team most valuable players as the NJAC swept senior All-Star games from the Skyline Conference on Wednesday night at Stevens. Baker scored a game-high 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds in leading the men's team to a 146-124 victory, while McNair scored a game-high 22 points and added 10 rebounds in the NJAC women's 97-55 win.
Merchant Marine guard Brian Kelly was named the men's Skyline MVP after registering 22 points and six rebounds in the loss.
Six players reached double-digits in scoring for the NJAC. William Paterson forward Samir Sanu poured in 23 points and grabbed five rebounds. He made five 3-pointers in the game. Rutgers-Camden guard Dane Nicholson totaled 18 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. The Skyline also had six players score in double-figures. Mount Saint Mary guard Mike Hoyt finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Tied at 19-all with just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, the NJAC put together a 16-2 run over a four-minute stretch to open a 35-21 lead with 2:48 to go in the period. Rutgers-Newark guard Philippe Slater scored eight points in the spurt. At the end of one period, the NJAC led 44-29. The NJAC extended its margin to 76-56 at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, Sanu drained a three-pointer from the corner to give the NJAC its largest lead of the game at 109-73 with 3:11 to play. The Skyline slowly chipped away at the deficit and closed to within 15 points (137-122) on a three-pointer by Yeshiva guard Ian Ribald with 1:45 remaining in the contest.
For the game, the NJAC shot 42.1% (51-for-121) from the floor and made 22 3-pointers. The Skyline connected on 15 3-pointers and shot 38.8 percent (47-for-121) from the field on the evening.
In the women's game, Mount Saint Mary guard Annie Cossolini took home MVP honors from the Skyline as she totaled 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field.
Leading 13-11 with less than 12 minutes to go in the first half, the NJAC scored 16 unanswered points in a three-minute stretch to take control of the game. William Paterson guard Luci Custis scored four points in the run. McNair capped the spurt with a layup as the NJAC opened a 29-11 advantage with 8:25 remaining.
McNair scored 14 first-half points as the NJAC carried a 45-28 lead into the break. Cossolini had nine points in the first 20 minutes for the Skyline. The NJAC was never challenged after that as it held at least a 16-point cushion for the remainder of the game.
Kean forward Ebony Allen finished with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field for the NJAC, which outrebounded the Skyline 59-41 in the contest. Mount Saint Mary center LaSheena Brown totaled 12 points in the loss.
For the game, the NJAC shot 51.9% (40-for-77) from the field. The Skyline Conference made 18 of 75 field goal attempts (24.0%) on the evening.