JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | On Senior Night 2013, New Jersey City University wrapped up an incredible regular season finish with an emphatic defensive effort for the ages. NJCU limited Rutgers University-Camden to just 33 points—the lowest total by a four-year opponent in more than 61 years—and the Gothic Knight scoring defense is now the best in the 80-year history of the program after NJCU routed the Scarlet Raptors, 62-33, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference regular season finale on February 13 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on "Coach Charlie Brown Court."
The 33 points are the fewest against a four-year opponent since January 5, 1952 when then Jersey City State Teacher's College defeated Newark College of Engineering—now known as New Jersey Institute of Technology—by an identical 62-33 score. The 33 points are the fewest by an opponent of any size since February 1959 when NJCU defeated Jersey City Junior College, 57-32.
The Gothic Knights guaranteed a winning record for the 36th time in its last 38 seasons and a .500 or better record and non-losing season for the 42nd time in 43 years, as NJCU improved to 14-11 and improbably evened its NJAC mark at 9-9. Meanwhile, NJCU won its seventh consecutive game and improved to 10-2 overall in its last 12 games—a 9-2 ledger in the NJAC after losing its first seven league games of the season.
NJCU improved to 54-4 all-time against Rutgers-Camden, and has won 44 of the last 45 meetings and 16 in a row. Camden's season ends at 9-16 overall and 6-12 in the NJAC—three games behind NJCU for the final conference playoff berth.
NJCU entered the game with the second lowest scoring defense in the known 80-year history of the program at 58.9 points per game. By limiting the Raptors to 33 points, including just 14 in the second half, that opponent scoring total plummeted a full point to 57.9 per contest. With the playoffs still to come, that scoring defense would eclipse the 1963-64 Jersey City State College conference championship team's record of 58.7 per game, on a squad led by a then collegiate junior named Charlie Brown, the retired NJCU coach for whom home court is named.
With Rutgers-Newark's win over Kean University, the Scarlet Raiders clinch the league's No. 2 seed and a tournament bye. NJCU will open play in the NJAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, February 16 at 2 p.m. when the No. 6 seeded Gothic Knights head to Galloway, NJ for a matchup with #3 seeded Richard Stockton College. NJCU and Stockton split the season series with the Ospreys winning at home on December 5 (77-58) before the Knights won in Jersey City on January 30, 60-50, in game three of the current seven-game winning streak.
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