Monday, January 17, 2011 (Men's Basketball)

KEITH WILLIAMS LEADS FIVE IN DOUBLE FIGURES AS NJCU DOWNS CITY TECH, 83-74

BROOKLYN, NY (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) drilled all four three-pointers he attempted and led five New Jersey City University players in double figures with 22 points, as the Gothic Knights overcame a 44-point performance by an opposing player and posted a 83-74 non-conference victory over New York City College of Technology in an early afternoon game on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Klitgord Gymnasium.

NJCU moves above .500 for the first time this season while winning its fourth consecutive game and improves to 7-6 overall. The Yellow Jackets fall to 1-13. NJCU leads the all-time series, 5-0.

Williams reached the 20-point plateau for the second time this season, finishing with 22 on 5-of-8 shooting (4-4 3FG) and 8-of-11 free throws, while adding five assists and three steals.

Senior point guard DA'SHON BARRINO (Newark, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) shot 5-of-9 (2-5 3FG) and provided 13 points while senior shooting guard ROB ROBINSON (East Orange, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) knocked down three triples (3-7) and 4-of-8 shots for 11 points, adding four steals.

Williams, Barrino and Robinson combined for nine of NJCU's 10 three-pointers as the Knights reached double figures in treys for the second time this year.

Also for NJCU, sophomore forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) scored 12 points (5-10 FG) and rejected two blocks. He had a streak of 15 consecutive converted foul shots dating to December 17 snapped in the game. Sophomore guard ASHMERE WILSON (Newark, NJ/Weequahic) continued to impress as an energetic reserve, tacking on 11 points (5-10 FG)—his fifth double-figure effort of the year without making a start.

NJCU received seven rebounds apiece from sophomore forward ISAIAH JOHNSON (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) and junior center JOSH HOSANG (Hackensack, NJ/Palm Beach Central (Fla.)).

The Knights overcame a spectacular 44-point effort by junior forward Nathaniel Young (Brooklyn, NY). He had 25 of City Tech's 40 first half points and finished shooting 16-of-25 from the field (2-4 3FG) and 10-of-13 from the foul line. His 44 points were a career best and believed to equal a school record for the Yellow Jackets.

Meanwhile, the 44 points are the most scored by an opposing player since computerized statistics became available in 2000-01 and only the second 40-point game by an opponent in the last 11 seasons. Further research this week will determine whether the 44 points are a record by an NJCU opposing player.

Also for City Tech, junior forward Fitzgerald Charles (Jamaica, NY) had 13 rebounds and scored nine points (4-6 FG) with three steals. Freshman forward Curlon McNeil (Brooklyn, NY) finished with 11 rebounds.

After City Tech scored the first points of the game, NJCU uncorked 15 of the next 17 points for a 15-4 margin and led by at least two possessions for the remainder of the contest. Albright and Barrino scored 14 of NJCU's first 17 points. The Knights led by as many as 14 in the first half (30-16) but the Yellow Jackets, behind the play of Young, managed to whittle the lead to four, 44-40, at halftime.

But that was as close as the hosts could get as NJCU regained a double-digit lead for much of the second half. The Knights gradually increased the advantage to as many as 17, 65-48, with 8:35 remaining on a triple by Robinson. Nine more points by Young helped the Yellow Jackets draw within five points (72-67) with 3:15 on the clock before Williams drilled a triple to push the lead back to eight with 2:24 to go. Williams, who scored 10 consecutive points for NJCU in the final two and a half minutes, converted seven of eight from the foul line to ice the game.

City Tech shot 47.5 percent from the floor in defeat (29-61) but committed 27 turnovers. NJCU had a 30-11 margin in scoring from its reserves.

NJCU looks to move above .500 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings on Wednesday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m. when it faces preseason conference favorite Ramapo College for the first time this year on the road in Mahwah, NJ.

—www.njcugothicknights.com—