KNIGHTS GET BACK ON TRACK, BLOW OUT LEHMAN, 84-53

JERSEY CITY, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com) | After losing four of its first five games by a combined 13 points, the New Jersey City University men's basketball team needed a win to turn things around. NJCU turned it around in blowout fashion. Lehman College entered as the top three-point shooting team in the CUNYAC Conference at 40.2 percent, but the Gothic Knights limited the Lightning to just 2-of-14 from long range—14.3 percent—and nine NJCU players scored at least five points in a decisive 84-53 victory in non-conference action on "Coach Charlie Brown Court" at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on Monday evening.

NJCU (2-4) has won both its games this season in blowout fashion by a combined 61 points. The win marked the 86^thtime in school history NJCU has defeated an opponent by at least 30 points. Lehman (3-4) has its three-game winning streak snapped. NJCU leads the all-time series, 8-1, and has won the last six meetings.

NJCU shot 51.7 percent in the second half (15-29) and 47.5 percent for the game (29-61), while using its inside presence and ball movement to get open looks at the basket. In all, 12 different NJCU players scored a field goal. No player logged more than 25 minutes.

 Senior shooting guard DA'SHON BARRINO (East Orange, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) scored in double figures for the fourth time in five games, leading the club with 15 points (5-8 FG), including 3-of-5 shooting from three-point distance, while picking three steals and adding two assists.

Sophomore guard ASHMERE WILSON (East Orange, NJ/Weequahic) netted a career-best 11 points, including 6-of-6 from the line and had three steals and sophomore forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) had 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Junior center JOSH HOSANG (Hackensack, NJ/Palm Beach Central (Fla.)) contributed nine points, six rebounds and four assists and senior swingman ROB ROBINSON (East Orange, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) added eight points (3-6 FG, 2-5 3FG) and eight rebounds.

Also for the Knights, sophomore forward ISAIAH JOHNSON (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) chipped in eight points, making all four of his shots. Junior center DASHAWN EAGLE (Newark, NJ/Weequahic) collected seven points (3-6 FG) and two blocks. Senior forward TOM McDERMOTT (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) had six rebounds. Junior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) tallied five points, four steals and two assists.

For Lehman, junior swingman Samuel Batista (San Pedrode Macoris, Dominican Republic) had a game-high 18 points (5-11 FG, 7-10 FT). No other player scored more than seven. Senior guard Alain De La Cruz (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), the CUNYAC assists leader at 5.3 per game, was limited to one helper, with four turnovers.

NJCU had 17 steals and the picks helped set the tone for the game. "I think one of the keys was our aggressiveness, both offensively and defensively early," commented fourth-year head coach MARC BROWN. "We started out in the press and got some steals early and rattled them. That's the kind of way we need to play for the rest of the year."

NJCU jumped out to a quick 18-5 edge in the opening minutes of the game, capped by a pair of Barrino triples and led 20-7 on a dunk after the 6-foot-8 Eagle fed a pass to the 6-foot-8 junior forward TAQUAN ABDULLAH (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley).

NJCU still led 23-12 on an Eagle three-point play, before Lehman was able to shave the deficit to five—30-25 with 3:50 left. But the Knights responded from three-point range. Barrino drilled a fall-away, straight on triple for a 34-25 cushion at 2:19 and after a block by Hosang, Williams grabbed the rebound and buried a transition three from the left wing for a 37-25 advantage. NJCU led by a dozen at the half, 39-27.

From there, the Knights blew the game open early in the second half, scoring the first nine points of the period, including five points by Albright who sank a three off a Barrino feed with 16:30 left as the lead swelled to 21 (48-27).

Baskets by Albright (15:47), Barrino, Eagle and Johnson helped extinguish the Lightning as the run to open the second half was extended to 17-3 when NJCU seized a 56-30 lead with 13:47 remaining and cruised from there. A free throw by Hosang gave NJCU its largest lead of the contest, a 33-point, 72-39 advantage, with 9:40 remaining, and the hosts lead stood between 27 and 33 the remainder of the night.

NJCU outscored Lehman in the paint, 36-18 and used 17 offensive rebounds for an 18-5 difference in second chance scoring.

"As a fan, you might think we blew out a bad team, but that's not the case," noted Brown. "Lehman has faced good competition. They won at Hunter—who we scrimmaged—a team that's pretty good. Tonight, we went inside out and the guys weren't forcing things inside. The bottom line is we knocked down shots. When you knock down shots it always makes things a little easier. We needed any win at 1-4. They're all big. We're looking forward to Wednesday and then we'll get ready for a good weekend."

NJCU will host Vaughn College in a non-conference game on Wednesday, December 8 at 7 p.m. before heading to Albany, New York to meet Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on December 13 prior to the Siena College/Florida Atlantic game at the Times Union Center. Siena will retire Brown's No. 4 jersey at halftime of the Division I game.

—www.njcugothicknights.com—