Despite several strong individual efforts, Essex County College fell to a high-powered Harcum College

Newark, NJ — Despite several strong individual efforts, Essex County College fell to a high-powered Harcum College squad on Tuesday night, 103–60. The visiting Bears established control early, racing to a 31–13 lead after the first quarter and never looking back.

Harcum's relentless pace and scoring depth proved difficult to contain, but Essex showed stretches of resilience—particularly behind the scoring spark of freshman guard Aniya Brown, who came off the bench to lead the Wolverines with 19 points on an impressive 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep.

Mia-Marie Thomas opened the night aggressively, finishing with 11 points, knocking down two threes and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Essence Cushionberry contributed a well-rounded performance, nearly reaching double figures with 7 points while also pulling down 9 rebounds and dishing 3 assists, serving as a steady presence on both ends of the floor.

Essex received additional scoring from Gabriella Brown, who added 7 points, and Natalie Fonseca, who supplied 6 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist off the bench. Kassandrah Phanor chipped in 5 points, while Michelle Hernandez and Kayley Lynch added valuable minutes and combined for 5 points and 6 rebounds.

Despite the loss, Essex showed improvement in the second half, finding more offensive rhythm and matching Harcum with 16 points in the third quarter. The Wolverines also shot a solid 38% from the field and 33.3% from three, demonstrating efficiency when they were able to get into their sets.

The Wolverines return to action on Saturday hosting Region 19 conference opponent Raritan Valley at 12:00 p.m.