Wednesday, February 9, 2011 (Men's Basketball)

NJCU WINS SEVENTH STRAIGHT, SWEEPS SEASON SERIES FROM DEFENDING NJAC CHAMPION WILLIAM PATERSON, 63-47

WAYNE, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | William Paterson University, the defending New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball champions, had owned a 21-2 home court record the last two seasons and won 31 of its last 34 home contests entering Wednesday night's showdown with red-hot New Jersey City University. But the Gothic Knights posted a 17-0 advantage on the fast break and committed just nine turnovers to sweep the 2010-11 season series from the Pioneers as NJCU cruised past WPU, 63-47, in an NJAC North Division game at the Rec Center.

NJCU (14-8, 6-4 NJAC) wins its seventh consecutive contest and for the 11^th time in l3 games while limiting an opponent to fewer than 50 points for the sixth time in seven contests and the eighth time overall this season. WPU falls to 12-11 (4-7 NJAC). NJCU leads the series, which dates to 1931-32, by a 75-61 margin. 

NJCU's current winning streak is its longest since winning 10 straight from January 10 thru February 10, 2007. In the 78-year history of the program, it's the 28^th streak of at least seven in a row. All seven wins during the current winning streak have been by double figures and 11 of the Knights 14 wins this year have been by 10 or more.

NJCU handed WPU its first double-digit home court loss in more than four years. The last time the Pioneers lost a home contest by 10 or more was February 7, 2007—a 71-60 loss that also came to NJCU. It was the most lopsided home loss since a 76-53 setback (23 points) to Kean University on November 22, 2005.

NJCU sweeps a season series from the Pioneers for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign—the last time the Knights won the NJAC championship—when NJCU won the two meetings by 11 and 13 points, respectively.

"This is the team I thought we had—a team with a lot of individual talent," noted fourth-year head coach MARC BROWN. "It took some time to click because they had not played with each other before. The confidence level is high. This is the best time of year to be playing well—it's better than starting strong and faltering at the end."

"We have a lot of talent," Brown continued. "There's nothing magical [about this run]; they're just getting comfortable with each other. Everyone is going to play and share time and you have to do as much as you can while you're out there. Some guys who were go-to players [at previous schools] have to tone down their scoring games, sacrificing their games for the [betterment] of the team. We are playing really well as a group."

Three players scored in double figures for NJCU, led by junior center JOSH HOSANG (Hackensack, NJ/Palm Beach Central (Fla.)) who had 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting with six rebounds. Senior guard JAMES LIVINGSTON (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Central) was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and finished with 11 points and three assists. Junior forward TAQUAN ABDULLAH (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley) added 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with five rebounds.

Also for the Knights, junior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) collected eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals while senior point guard DA'SHON BARRINO (East Orange, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) added seven points.

WPU senior guard Gabriel Paul (Newark, NJ/Hillside) scored a game-high 15 points (5-13 FG) and added a team-high five rebounds. No other WPU players had more than six points or four rebounds.

The Pioneers entered the contest ranked No. 3 in Division III in scoring defense (55.7 per game) but led for only two possessions of the first half. With the game knotted at 11-11 (9:05), NJCU uncorked a 12-2 run to seize a 23-13 lead as five different players scored, including four points by Livingston. Baskets by Hosang and freshman guard MICHAEL JOHNSON (Newark, NJ/Irvington) capped the run at the 3:49 mark of the half and Johnson later made it 25-15 with a steal and fast break layup at 2:49. Barrino added a pair of field goals—a tip-in and a fast break layup off a Johnson steal and the Knights headed to the locker room ahead by nine, 31-22. NJCU shot 14-of-32 in the first half and committed just four turnovers; WPU was forced into 11 giveaways in the period and made just nine shots (9-22).

A Paul three at 18:08 of the second half made it an eight-point game (34-26). But that was as close as the Pioneers would get as NJCU exploded for a 14-2 run to put the game out of reach, seizing a 48-28, 20-point cushion with 12:23 remaining. Five NJCU players scored during the streak as sophomore forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) started the spurt on a fast break feed from Williams before Barrino grabbed a defensive carom and raced down court, popping a three for more fast break points. Hosang made two layups sandwiched around a triple by Williams and Abdullah's fast break field goal made it a 20-point margin.

Abdullah scored six in a row to give NJCU its largest lead of the night. His dunk, a later foul shot and a three-pointer extended the advantage to 23—56-33 with 8:30 remaining. NJCU, having already exceeded the Pioneers' opponent scoring average by that point of the second half, largely ran out the clock to conclude the game.

"It's been the same thing all year," Brown noted about the Gothic Knights' double digit lead late in the first half. "We had a great start but we're maintaining leads now and that's been the key. Our two perimeter guys [Barrino, Williams; 6-of-22] didn't shoot well but they played good defense and got big rebounds. The whole group is playing well together."

"What I like about this team is they are not satisfied. We still have a lot of work to do. Each game is like a new game of the year, and it's the game of the year this Saturday."

NJCU will host #22 ranked Ramapo College on Saturday, February 12 at 6 p.m. in a game with huge playoff implications after RCNJ won the first meeting between the schools in come-from-behind fashion, 77-76, on January 19 in Mahwah, NJ. It will be Senior Day at NJCU as the Knights honor Barrino, Livingston, senior swingman ROB ROBINSON (East Orange, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) and senior power forward TOM McDERMOTT (Kearny, NJ/Kearny, NJ).

—www.njcugothicknights.com—