JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior shooting guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park (Md.)) scored 22 points in 23 minutes and freshman Sam Toney (Somerdale, N.J./Williamstown) buried five of his six three-point tries as the New Jersey City University men's basketball surged out to a 16-3 lead en route to a convincing 26-point, 88-62 win over the College of Staten Island in a non-conference post-Thanksgiving matchup on November 26 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Charlie Brown Court).
NJCU improved to 4-1, thanks to a defense that forced 26 turnovers, allowing the Gothic Knights to ignite a 36-14 differential in points off giveaways. Staten Island fell to 1-3.
Harris scored 20 or more points for the third time this season and the 13th time in 33 career Gothic Knight games, reaching the 20-point plateau with 13:26 remaining in the game before giving way to the Gothic Knight reserves with the game all but decided. He shot 9-of-15 overall and added six rebounds and three assists.
Toney, the current NJAC Rookie of the Week, scored his career high 17 points in 20 minutes, knocking down 5-of-6 threes and 5-of-8 total shots with six rebounds. Brown was 3-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the line, collecting 10 points, five rebounds and three steals in a team-high 23 minutes.
Also for the Knights, junior guard Gene Campbell (Carteret, N.J./East Brunswick Tech)demonstrated some scoring ability as he netted nine points in six reserve minutes, hitting 2-of-3 shots and 4-of-4 from the line. Sophomore point guard Shaquan Worthy (Trenton, N.J./Trenton) swiped four steals. Graduate student power forward Chinwe Wosu (Jersey City, N.J./University Academy Charter) had seven rebounds.
Khaleeq Baum hit all six shots he attempted, finishing with 12 points. Frank Schettino had a team-high 14 points for CSI, but was 4-of-17 shooting and had seven turnovers.
NJCU knocked down 10 three-pointers and 20-of-28 foul shots. CSI was just 2-of-14 from long distance.
HOW IT HAPPENED
NJCU led 8-1 and 11-3 when Toney knocked down a pair of threes in a span of 25 seconds, Brown drilled a three and Harris scored. Two more baskets by Harris, including one in transition, made it 20-5 with 13:13 left in the opening half. Harris had 10 points by the 6:39 mark of the opening half. The first dunk Harris has ever had in a game at any level with 3:41 to go in the period, followed by Toney's third three of the half gave NJCU a 13-point, 35-22 margin with 2:56 left. That was whittled down to six at halftime when the Dolphins scored the final seven points of the opening period.
But CSI never got closer than two possessions the rest of the game. Toney hit two more triples to open the second half and Harrisscored the next seven points for NJCU—a triple from the left corner in transition with 17:13 left and two layups—to counter baskets by CSI.
Up eight with 15:31 to go, the Knights began to pull away for good. Harris' 19th point put the margin back into double figures for good. A minute later sophomore swingman James Julius(Linden, N.J./Linden) beat the shot clock in the corner off a quick feed from Toney and Harrisknocked down a pair from the line.
From there NJCU amassed three more runs of at least six straight points to widen its lead. With 8:08 left, senior guard Andrew Tomlin (Newark, N.J./Central) knocked away a pass, then sprinted down court to receive a fast break dish from sophomore shooting guard Joseph Kelley(Newark, N.J./University) for a 64-49 edge. Campbell hit a little floater on the baseline with the shot clock winding down then later added two from the line to push the margin to 20. Later, Campbell hit a left arc triple to beat the expiring shot clock and make the lead 25 (85-60). NJCU's largest lead was 28 (88-60) on another triple by junior guard Ruben Acosta (Bogota, N.J./Bogota) with under a minute left.
QUOTABLE KNIGHTS:
Reigning NJAC Coach of the Year Marc Brown on the win: "I thought we started off slow and picked it up in the second half. It's tough to bounce back from a game like Tuesday where we had almost a thousand people in the gym. Today was a day where we had to motivate ourselves, and we did a great job of that in the second half. We have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket and a lot of good defenders, so we try to turn turnovers into points."
Jalen Harris on his continued impressive play: "It's my teammates, my coaches, my parents always motivating me, telling me I can do better. I just come into the games with that mentality. I try to score or whatever it takes for my teammates and I to get the win.
Harris on NJCU's ability in transition: "We're a good defensive team. Once we get into the break, I feel as if we're the best team in the country on the fast break. Once we get that steal, we're already out."
Sam Toney on how he was so efficient today: "Coach [Brown] keeps being in my ear, saying be aggressive, stay calm and let the game come to me, and that's what I'm doing. My teammates are looking for me. I know my game is going to come, I just have to be patient, and that's what I am doing."
OF NOTE:
- 19th meeting. NJCU leads all-time 'Bayonne Bridge Series', 13-6.
- First meeting in series in Jersey City since November 24, 2009.
- Largest margin of victory for NJCU in series since 92-60 (+32) win in Staten Island on December 29, 2004.
- Jalen Harris scored in double figures for the 29th time in 33 career games as a Gothic Knight.
- Kevin Brown and Sam Toney each scored in double figures for the third time in five games to open his NJCU career.
- The 88 points are the most by NJCU since scoring 94 in the ECAC Semifinals against Baruch on March 5, 2016.
WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU will play its first road New Jersey Athletic Conference road game of the season on Wednesday, November 30 at 8 p.m. when it takes on William Paterson University at the Rec Center in Wayne, N.J. NJCU swept the 2015-16 season series. It will be the 148th known meeting in a series NJCU leads, 78-69.
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