Wednesday night, Rowan University took home court advantage blowing out the Ospreys, 69-107 (men’s) and 54-63 (women’s). Earlier in the season, Men’s Basketball lost to the Profs, 98-109; despite Stockton’s consistently-acquired wins, Rowan is the #1 seat in the NJACs.

That night, Rowan scored 19 points on the men’s team’s turnover and held a close-knit defense only allowing 36 points in the paint compared to their 48. Stockton could have done a better job boxing out as well since 21 of Rowan’s points were off of second opportunities. Other than that, Rowan seemed really difficult to defend on the 3-point shot. The team was hitting 36.1% of the shots compared to Stockton’s 17.4%.

When the two men’s teams meet again in the finals, Ospreys must make adjustments to contend with the Profs. The main focus could be the team’s speed on offense. Each player for Rowan seems to execute their role well. For instance, Ahmad Bickley (#4) only played 10 minutes yet was 4 for 4 on the 3-point shot. Rowan seems to have a variety of nonstarters scoring. The team’s nonstarters earned 57 points while Stockton’s scored 40 points. Additionally, Rowan’s players did not exceed 23 minutes on the court despite their talent. As for Stockton, Kadian Dawkins (#0) played 27 minutes, DJ Campbell played 28, and Kyion Flanders played 23. With Rowan’s fast-paced gameplay, these players need to rest as well as look to their nonstarters to play their respective roles well.

As for the women’s teams, the game was close at 54-63; however, the Ospreys lost momentum towards the end, allowing Rowan to take the win. Freshman Ikechi Wokocha remarked “I don’t think it is a physical thing, it might be mental. Because physically we are a good team…we do what we need to do but when it comes to towards the end of the game, I feel like it’s more physical than mental.”

The Ospreys have been sustaining a seven-game losing streak, of which five such losses could be considered close games. This might be something that could have been part of their discussion in preparation for their game against Ramapo on Saturday. Limiting turnovers and increasing the level of communication between their teammates could be what the Ospreys need to overcome this hurdle. They have shown what they could do at the beginning of the season with their 8-2 record—now they have to regain their momentum.