JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University needed a win in the worst way after four straight disappointing conference losses and on February 10, the Gothic Knights got what they sought. NJCU took control of the game midway through the first half with a 13-0 run, led by 11 at halftime and pulled away in the second half behind the sixth career 20-point scoring effort from senior small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter), as NJCU cruised past Valley Forge Christian College, 73-57, in non-conference men's basketball at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
NJCU (11-11) beat an athletic Valley Forge club (12-9) to return to the .500 mark on the season, thanks largely to a dominating effort on the glass. The Knights used their size and strength advantage to chalk up a 22-1 differential in offensive rebounding to amass a staggering 29-0 margin in second chance scoring in a contest where NJCU out-boarded the Patriots, 48-21.
NJCU outrebounded VFCC, 29-11 in the first half alone, including a substantial 13-0 cushion on the offensive glass. That directly led to a 13-0 differential in second chance points in the opening half.
Meanwhile, NJCU outscored VFCC in the paint in the first half, 22-6, and 38-20 overall and held a 26-6 differential in bench scoring. NJCU also turned 17 VFCC turnovers into a 25-14 edge in points off giveaways.
"It was a must win and we knew it coming in but they're all must wins at this point," noted seventh-year head coach Marc Brown, with NJCU needing to win three of its final four games to be .500 or better overall and eligible for post-season play. "The guys came out ready to play today against a team that's a non-conference team but still a great win for our overall record. They're [Valley Forge] a dangerous team. They have some guys who can score and they play hard. We still didn't shoot well from the field or the free throw line but we have to keep working."
It was Albright's fifth 20-point scoring performance of the season that was individually notable. In moving into 21st place in program history in scoring, he was one point shy of equaling his career high and reached the 20-point threshold in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, finishing with 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting (2-3 3-point FG) and a perfect 6-of-6 from the line.
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