Tuesday, February 22, 2011 (Men's Basketball)

NEW JERSEY CITY TO PLAY FOR NJAC CHAMPIONSHIP; GOTHIC KNIGHTS OUST KEAN, 75-61

UNION, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | For the first time in four years, New Jersey City University will play for the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship in men's basketball. The Gothic Knights jumped out to a 12-2 lead and never trailed, en route to winning their first road conference tournament game in 16 years as NJCU eliminated NJAC South Division champion Kean University, 75-61, in the NJAC Semifinals on Tuesday night at Harwood Arena.

Coupled with Montclair State University's 67-64 road upset of NJAC North Division champion and #25 ranked Ramapo College, NJCU will host the 2011 NJAC Championship game on Friday, February 25 at 7 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on "Coach Charlie Brown Court" in Jersey City, NJ.  The winner of that game will win the conference championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. NJCU has won a record 11 NJAC titles—its last in 2004—while Montclair, which last won in 2003, has nine league crowns to its credit.

NJCU (18-9), the No. 2 seed in the NJAC North Division, won for the 11^th time in 12 games and the 15^th time in 18 contests. Kean, which will wait for a potential NCAA at-large Pool C bid to the tournament, falls to 18-8. NJCU, which defeated Kean for the ninth time in the last 11 meetings, improved to 91-33 in a series which dates to 1931-32.

NJCU evened its all-time NJAC Tournament record at 18-18, including a 3-0 record vs. the Cougars in the championship. The win was exactly 16 years to the date of the Knights' last road win in the NJAC Tournament—February 22, 1995 in Ewing, NJ (77-69 over then Trenton State College).

NJCU's two all-conference point guards, senior DA'SHON BARRINO (East Orange, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) and junior KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) combined for 34 of NJCU's 75 points.

Kean was not able to overcome the loss of senior forward Jonathan Jones (Linden, NJ/Linden), who earlier in the day was named the NJAC Player of the Year. He came in leading the nation in rebounding at 14.2 per game and double-doubles (24) and fifth in scoring (24.9). But 22 seconds after the opening tip he left the game with an apparent lower leg injury while back-peddling after a missed layup and never returned. 

Barrino led all players with 18 points, shooting 5-of-8 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point distance and 6-of-6 from the foul line with three assists and two steals and Williams added 16 points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3FG), shooting 8-of-9 from the line.

Senior guard JAMES LIVINGSTON (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Central) was the third NJCU player in double figures, finishing with 10 points (2-5 FG, 5-6 FT) and five rebounds off the bench. Livingston, the NJAC leader in free throw percentage at .854 (Barrino is second at .848), extended his recent free throws converted streak to 48-of-51.

Also for the Knights, junior center JOSH HOSANG (Hackensack, NJ/Palm Beach Central (Fla.)) added eight points (3-5 FG) and two steals. Junior small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) finished with seven points (3-7 FG).

For Kean, freshman guard Michael Burton (Irvington, NJ/South Plainfield), who earlier in the day was named NJAC Rookie of the Year, led the Cougars with 13 points (5-5 FT) but shot 3-of-12 and had five turnovers. Freshman forward Kyle Latorre (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights) provide 10 points (4-7 FG), six rebounds and two blocks and sophomore guard Diego Gutierrez (Miami, FL/Miami Beach) also collected 10 points (2-3 FG, 6-8 FT).

NJCU, which entered the game as the league's leading free throw shooting program at .693, shot a scorching 29-of-34 from the line—85.3 percent—to move above 70 percent for the season (.701). It's NJCU's best team free throw percentage since the 1981-82 season.

NJCU, ranked No. 7 nationally in turnover margin at +6.08 per game coming in, had 13 steals and forced 21 Kean turnovers. The Knights used that advantage to claim a 33-13 margin in points off turnovers, including 20-1 in the second half.

NJCU started strong, scoring the first nine points of the game. Albright had back-to-back layups and Williams drilled a three for a 7-0 lead before Barrino sank two from the line just 3:22 into the contest. After Gutierrez hit two foul shots at 16:01, Barrino knocked down a triple for a 12-2 margin at 15:38.

NJCU led 16-7 before sophomore guard Mike Shaughnessy (Linwood, NJ/Mainland Regional) hit a jumper and Latorre scored on a layup to make it a four-point game, 18-14.

But NJCU responded with eight consecutive points, increasing the lead to a dozen, 26-14. Albright scored the first three points during the run before Williams drilled another three for a 24-14 lead and added a fast break layup off a steal and an assist by rookie guard MICHAEL JOHNSON (Newark, NJ/Irvington) at 6:32. Livingston kept the lead at 12 with two free throws and a 28-16 cushion.

Kean scored seven in a row, including a three by Burton to make it 28-23 before another Barrino triple and a Livingston layup with 4:03 left in the half extended the lead to 33-23. A jumper by junior forward TAQUAN ABDULLAH (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley) saw NJCU hold a 35-26 lead with 2:34 to go in the half. Kean, which finished the period on a 9-2 run, was able to whittle the lead to three at halftime, 35-32 as Latorre scored two layups in the final 1:20.

Latorre scored his sixth straight point for Kean 13 seconds into the second half, following up an offensive rebound with a layup that made it a one-point game (35-34). He missed the subsequent free throw that could have tied it.

NJCU, which committed only four turnovers in the entire second half, responded again, scoring the next six points—four by Barrino—for a 41-34 lead. Another Barrino jumper made it 43-36 (15:30) and Williams increased the margin to nine, 45-36. Kean was able to draw with five, 45-40 with 14:15 left.

But that was as close as Kean would get the remainder of the night. NJCU again elevated the lead to double digits when senior swingman ROB ROBINSON (Newark, NJ/Malcolm X. Shabazz) buried a trey at 10:59 for a 52-42 lead. Two foul shots by Barrino and an athletic offensive rebound and putback by Johnson allowed NJCU to push the lead to 13, 57-44, at 9:10.

NJCU cruised straight into the NJAC finals from there, leading by at least nine the remainder of the contest. A pair of foul shots with 38 seconds left by Williams gave NJCU its largest lead of the game at 15 points (73-58) against a school he played for as a freshman in 2008.

General admission for the NJAC Finals is $5 for adults and $2 for students with identification and go on sale beginning at 6 p.m.

—www.njcugothicknights.com—