JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University remains unbeaten on the season but for the first time this year had to come from behind in the second half. Junior point guard JOURDAN ROBERSON (Brooklyn, NY/University (Newark)) scored 17 of his game and career-high 19 points in the second period, and was a perfect 11-for-11 from the foul line as the Gothic Knights upended Rutgers-Newark, 61-52, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game on November 26 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 

NJCU improves to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in the NJAC while winning for the 60^th time against the Scarlet Raiders (2-2, 0-1 NJAC) in 74 all-time meetings.  The Raiders, playing their first NJAC game of the season, led by as many as nine in the first half. R-N was the third team that made the 2013 NCAA Tournament NJCU has already defeated this year in five games and fourth post-season qualifier.
 
For the first time this year, NJCU did not win a game by double figures—prevailing by nine—but its smothering defense held an opponent under 60 points for the fourth time in five outings.
 
Roberson scored in double figures for the third consecutive game and posted a career-high for the third straight outing. In addition to his free throw prowess, he shot 3-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range with two assists and two steals in 34 minutes. He scored 10 consecutive points in the final six minutes with the game still undecided.
 
On a night where several Gothic Knights fought foul trouble, he was the lone player in double figures. Sophomore shooting guard KHALID MUHAMMAD (Orange, NJ/Orange) scored eight points with eight rebounds (six defensive) and junior center EDDIE BROWN (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) contributed eight points (4-9 FG). Sophomore power forward FARAJI JAMES (Irvington, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) registered seven defensive rebounds in 17 minutes.
 
R-N junior guard John Snow (Newark, NJ) entered the game averaging 21.3 points per game but was limited to 14 points on 2-of-7 shooting. He did most of his damage from the line, converting 9-of-11 while adding nine defensive rebounds.
 
Junior guard Doze Ikwuegbu (Union, NJ/Union) tallied 11 points (3-8 FG), six defensive rebounds and three assists while junior swingman Christian Garcia (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) collected 11 points (4-13 FG), five rebounds and three steals. Sophomore forward Jordan McDaniel (Colonia, NJ/McDaniel) finished with eight points.
 
"I take my time," Roberson said, when asked why he shoots so well from the line, now 21-of-22 (.955) on the season, including 18 in a row. "I work on my free throws a lot in practice. Coach is big on free throws. We haven't really been shooting well [from the line] as a team so we've been practicing a lot."
 
Clearly practice pays off. Roberson scored 17 of NJCU's 35 second-half points and was key throughout the period. NJCU trailed by two at the half (28-26), gained a brief one-point lead early in the second period but trailed by two until Roberson hit two from the line with 13:53 left to give NJCU back a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Junior forwardDREW MARLEY (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia)  came off the bench to knock down back-to-back jumpers and Roberson hit two more from the line before the Knights capped a 10-0 run with two foul shots by rookie forward STEVE ROBERTS (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) that gave the hosts a 43-35 advantage.

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