JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In an intense battle for undisputed first place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference between New Jersey City University and Rutgers University-Newark, Gothic Knight junior shooting guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, MD/Gwynn Park (Md.)) scored 17 of his game-high 19 points in the second half and senior small forwardKhalid Muhammad (Orange, NJ/Orange) had back-to-back blocks to thwart the Scarlet Raiders in the final seconds as NJCU prevailed, 63-59, on January 20. With the home court win at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court), NJCU reclaimed sole possession of first place in the NJAC and swept a season series from Rutgers-Newark for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
 
The marquee win for the Gothic Knights (10-6, 8-2) propels NJCU to a full-game lead over second place Rutgers-Newark (12-5, 7-3 NJAC), which had its four-game winning streak snapped. It also gave NJCU, which had dropped four of its last six games after a 7-2 and 6-0 NJAC open to the season, a critical head-to-head tiebreaker with the Raiders, via the season sweep.
 
Harris, who did not start a game for the first time as a Gothic Knights, was lights out, particularly in the second half.Harris shot 7-of-9 from the field including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range and hit both foul shots he took in 22 total minutes.
 
Junior point guard Ata Robinson (Newark, NJ/East Side) added 14 (5-13 FG; 2-6 3FG) and senior power forwardChinwe Wosu (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter), the NJAC's leader in rebounding and field goal percentage, fought through foul trouble for a game-high 12 boards with seven points. Muhammad chipped in nine points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
 
Defensively, NJCU held Rutgers-Newark to an opponent season-low 59 points—the first time the Knights have kept an opponent under 60 points this year.
 
Most notable was the work against RUN senior guard John Snow (Newark, NJ/Montclair Kimberley). Snow, the reigning NJAC Player of the Week, had scored 42 points in his last outing—the most by any player in the NJAC since January, 2007—but the Knights shut him down. Snow shot 4-of-15 overall and 0-for-6 from three-point range. He collected most of his team-high 17 points from the line (9-of-11), adding six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks against five turnovers in a full 40 minutes.

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