JERSEY CITY, NJ – The Rowan University women's basketball team won its seventh straight game to start the season, 77-61 at New Jersey City University on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Profs are 4-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Rowan has not started a season with seven straight wins since beginning the 2003-04 campaign with eight victories. The Gothic Knights have a 3-4 record and they are 0-4 in the NJAC.
 
Guard Jade Bonder (sr. Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) led Rowan with a season-high 17 points. Guard Bria Hill (sr. Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) added 12 points. Guard Valerie Garofalo (so. Ventnor, NJ/Holy Spirit) registered 11 points and four steals. Guard Anyssa Sanchez (so. Stratford, NJ/Sterling) produced 10 points, six rebounds and five steals. Guard Kaitlin Schullstrom (jr. Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) scored eight points and center Kate Matthews (jr. Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) grabbed seven rebounds and totaled six points.
 
For NJCU, forward Bria Smith (so. Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy) led all scorers with 23 points and corralled 18 rebounds. Guard Jade Medley (sr. Queens, NY/Hudson Catholic) tallied 12 points. Forward Deseree Johnson (jr. Red Bank, NJ/Monmouth Reg.) tallied nine points and 10 rebounds.
 
Medley started the game with a three-pointer (19:12) and the Gothic Knights went out to an 11-5 lead (14:24). Smith had a layup and two free throws. A basket by Smith made the score 18-11 at the 10:26 mark. Rowan's 8-3 run cut the NJCU advantage to two points (21-19) with 7:20 to play in the first half. Bonder totaled five points. Five straight points by the Gothic Knights which included Smith's two free throws Smith and three points by Briggs, extended the lead to 26-19 (5:24). The Profs then used a 10-0 spurt to go ahead for the first time, 29-26 (1:44). Garofalo registered five points. Guard Jazz Randall (so. Parsipanny, NJ/West Orange) hit a free throw (0:41) to tie the score at 29 going into the break.
 
NJCU scored the first four points of the second half for a 33-29 advantage (17:41). Two free throws by Garofalo gave Rowan the lead back, 37-36 (13:48). Hill then hit a triple (13:20) to extend the score to 40-36. Smith's two free throws knotted the game at 42 (11:33). The Profs used a 15-4 run to make it 57-46 with 7:01 remaining on the clock. Schullstrom produced four points. Bonder's layup extended the lead to 61-49 (5:23). Smith's basket got NJCU within seven (61-54), but Rowan tallied the next five points to take a 12-point advantage, 66-54 (3:45). The Profs had a 70-59 lead, then Bonder hit four straight free throws, making the score 74-59 (1:42).

Rowan hosts The College of New Jersey on Wednesday, December 10 at 6 p.m.