READING, Pa. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University got a go-ahead three-pointer from four-time NJAC Rookie of the Week Sam Toney (Somerdale, N.J./Williamstown) with 27 seconds remaining and its nationally-ranked defense did the rest, forcing two late turnovers, as the Gothic Knights edged Gettysburg College, 61-57, in the opening round of the Crowne Plaza Holiday Tournament at Albright College on December 29. With the win, NJCU won its eighth consecutive game to improve to 10-1 to start a season for the first time since 1988-89.
 
NJCU, in its first game in 12 days, held an opponent under 60 points for the fourth outing in a row and the sixth time this season. The Knights have not allowed more than 64 points in a regulation game. NJCU and Gettysburg (2-7) were meeting for the first time in 21 years. The game was tied nine times and saw 12 lead changes.
 
The result sets up a marquee matchup of teams sitting just outside the D3hoops.com Top 25 national rankings as NJCU will face Misericordia University (9-1, Won 5) in the tournament championship game on December 30 at 4 p.m. at the Bollman Center. The Cougars outlasted host Albright, 87-78, in the other opening round matchup.
 
With 2:00 left graduate student power forward Chinwe Wosu (Jersey City, N.J./University Academy Charter) forced a ninth tie and then gave NJCU the lead (56-55) with a pair of foul shots before the Bullets went back up by one (57-56) on a Tanner Kirkpatrick layup with exactly one minute to play.
 
Down one, and the shot clock dwindling, a three by senior shooting guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park (Md.)) wouldn't fall but sophomore point guard Shaquan Worthy (Trenton, N.J./Trenton) grabbed the offensive carom with 32 seconds left to keep the possession alive, leading to Toney's NBA-range triple from the right wing with 27 seconds remaining to give NJCU a 59-57 advantage.
 
Worthy then helped seal it when he swiped a steal with 20 seconds left, sank the back end of two foul shots (60-57), before sophomore swingman James Julius (Linden, N.J./Linden) hit one of two foul shots with eight seconds left to make it a two-possession game. Worthy blocked the Bullets' last-second three-point try—only his second career rejection.
 
Wosu led NJCU with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes, adding seven boards and two steals while Harris netted 12 points with three assists and three steals in his first game at Albright since he transferred to NJCU from that program after the 2014-15 season.
 
Junior small forward Kevin Brown (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) finished with nine points (3-4 FG) in only 14 minutes due to foul trouble. Toney, the freshman power forward and winner of four of the first five New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week awards, had eight points, including the game-winning three. Worthy had four steals.
 
Gettysburg, which led by seven at halftime (31-24)—its largest margin of the game—received a game-high 22 points from senior forward Cody Kiefer (Gettysburg, Pa.) who was 7-of-11 from the field and 8-of-9 at the line with eight rebounds and three assists.
 
Freshman guard Nick Antolini (Babylon, N.Y.) had 13 points in 20 minutes off the bench—shooting 4-of-6 from three-point distance. Kirkpatrick (Carlisle, Pa.), a 6-foot-7 center, had 10 points before fouling out. The rest of the team combined for 12 points.     
 
In another stellar defensive effort for the Gothic Knights, who entered the day ranked No. 1 in Division III in three-point percentage defense (.239) and fourth in scoring defense (58.0), NJCU forced 24 turnovers and held the Bullets to 5-of-16 three-point shooting and just 26 points in the second half. The Knights scored 25 points off of Gettysburg giveaways. The Bullets stayed in the game thanks to 18-of-22 foul shooting (.818).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
NJCU held an early 14-6 lead but couldn't maintain the eight-point cushion. The Bullets pulled in front with a 14-2 run and held NJCU to just one field goal over a span of 6:01. The Knights forced a pair of ties, including 22-22, before the Bullets scored nine of the final 11 points of the half. NJCU was 0-for-9 from three-point range in the first half.
 
The Knights whittled the seven-point halftime deficit to one (33-32) when Julius hit a pair of foul shots with 14:01 to play in the second half but Gettysburg twice worked the margin back to seven (41-34) including 43-36 with 11:43 to play. Harris hit two foul shots, Brown drilled a three and Toney buried another trey with 9:49 on the board as NJCU used an 8-0 spurt to seize its first lead (44-43) since the 2:42 mark of the first half.
 
From there, the clubs were back and forth. A pair of baskets by Kiefer, the latter with 6:06 left, gave the Bullets a 51-46 lead. A steal and fast break bucket by sophomore shooting guard Joseph Kelley (Newark, N.J./University) with 4:10 left and a three by Harris with 3:49 to go evened it at 51-51. After Kiefer hit two foul shots for a 53-51 edge, Harris answered with another clutch three with 3:08 to play for a 54-53 edge. Kiefer converted two more foul shots at 2:19, leading up to the late heroics by Wosu, Toney and Worthy. NJCU outscored Gettysburg 37-26 in the second half.
 
QUOTABLE KNIGHTS:
 
Reigning NJAC Coach of the Year Marc Brown on the win: "It was a hard-fought game. Gettysburg is a very patient offensive team. They run the Princeton offense with lots of backdoor cuts, which makes it very difficult to defend. We made big shots when we needed to and forced 24 turnovers. Sam's shot was big time and I am looking forward to him hitting many more big shots."
 
OF NOTE:

• Series: Even, 1-1. First meeting since January 4, 1996 on a neutral court in Salem, Va. (lost, 96-75).
• NJCU last opened a season at 10-1 when it was 15-1 in 1988-89.
• Jalen Harris scored in double figures for the 35th time in 39 career games as a Gothic Knight.
• NJCU received 50 points in the Week 4 D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, equivalent to a No. 27 national listing.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
In the championship game, NJCU and Misericordia, members of the MAC Freedom conference, will square off for the first time ever. The Cougars received one point in the Week 4 D3hoops poll, equivalent to a 45th place national listing. The schools have two common opponents thus far with MU defeating William Paterson (94-72) in the title game of the 25th annual McCarthy Tire Laurel Line Tournament in Dallas, Pa. on November 19 and Rutgers-Newark (78-58) in Newark on December 5. Misericordia is averaging 92.0 points per game. Its season low is 75 points in its lone loss to Swarthmore (83-75) on November 27.

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