JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Preseason New Jersey Athletic Conference favorite New Jersey City University found itself tied with rival Rutgers-Newark at halftime (31-31) before using its defense to create offense as the Gothic Knights amassed a 30-6 margin in points off turnovers and hit several key shots midway through the second half when it pulled away for a 77-60 in its NJAC and home court opener on November 22 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Charlie Brown Court).
NJCU (3-1, 1-0 NJAC) impressed its energetic crowd of more than 700, forcing 15 of Newark's 25 turnovers in the second half when it outscored the Scarlet Raiders (0-4, 0-1 NJAC), 46-29. The Gothic Knights had an 11-2 advantage in steals in the win and held a 15-3 margin in assists, chalking up one on 15 of 22 made baskets.
Senior shooting guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park (Md.)) was still in single digits in the points column midway through the first half but finished with a team-high for the fourth straight outing, chalking up 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting including a dagger three-pointer with 5:35 left and the shot clock nearing zero to increase the lead to 22 and punctuate a 26-6 scoring outburst over a span of 10:41 in the middle of the period.
Freshman Sam Toney (Somerdale, N.J./Williamstown), the current NJAC Rookie of the Week, notched his second double-double in four games to open his career. Despite not shooting well from the field, he made up for it at the line where he was a perfect 8-for-8, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 22 minutes.
Junior small forward Kevin Brown (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) shot 6-for-9 and tallied 14 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes while senior point guard Ata Robinson (Newark, N.J./East Side) only played 10 minutes in a starting role but bagged 11 points with four assists and two steals. He nailed 3-of-4 shots from the field. All his scoring was from three-point distance and each one fell from beyond NBA range.
Graduate student power forward Chinwe Wosu (Jersey City, N.J./University Academy Charter) chipped in six points on 3-of-3 shooting with six rebounds in 14 minutes. All 16 players saw time and 14 scored.
Rutgers-Newark's Tyler Ofray scored a game-high 20 points, making 13-of-13 from the line before missing his 14th attempt. He did turn it over seven times in 33 minutes. Nadir Alston had a double-double of 14 rebounds and 12 points, but shot 3-of-13 and had six giveaways. Emmanuel Kema finished with 13 points (5-11 FG) and 3-of-6 three-point shooting, adding eight caroms.
After shooting just 23.5 percent in the first half, NJCU made 14-of-30 (.467) in the second half and hit eight three-pointers in the win. NJCU also converted 25-of-38 foul shots as a team.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Harris scored just five points in the first half including his only three with 3:05 left to give NJCU a short-lived six-point edge (31-25)—its largest of the half—before RUN scored the final six points to tie it at the break.
NJCU scored the first seven points of the second half, including a 30-foot three by Robinsonbefore the Raiders stormed back to tie it at 38-38 when Kema hit two triples in a 50-second span. A steal by Robinson led to a Harris fast break and NJCU would not trail again.
After RUN scored with 15:51 to play to make it a two-point game, NJCU unleashed a 9-0 run to push the lead into double figures for most of the rest of the night when Toney knocked down a three from the right arc with 12:38 left for a 51-40 margin, moments after Brown tipped in a missed shot and Toney scored inside off a great pass from sophomore shooting guard Joseph Kelley (Newark, N.J./University).
Leading 53-44 with 10:20 left, the Knights ignited another outburst—this time a 15-2 streak over a span of 5:10. Four big plays highlighted the run. The most dynamic came with 8:18 on the clock when Toney crushed a block off the defensive glass so hard it caromed all the way to Harris at mid-court who scored easily on the fast break for a 59-44 lead. With 7:18 to go, sophomore small forward Joe Anderson (Neptune, N.J./Asbury Park) grabbed an offensive board and found Brown underneath for an easy two. With 6:23 to go, Kelley made an acrobatic play in the backcourt to steal a ball in mid-air then scored for a 64-46 advantage. Then with 5:35 to go, senior guard Andrew Tomlin (Newark, N.J./Central) found Harris on the left arc with one second on the shot clock where he buried the dagger three for a 22-point cushion and NJCU's largest lead of the night.
OF NOTE:
- 80th meeting. NJCU leads the all-time series, 63-17 (Streak: Won 3)
- Jalen Harris scored in double figures for the 28th time in 32 career games as a Gothic Knight.
- Kevin Brown scored in double figures for the second time in four games to open his NJCU career.
- Ata Robinson had his first double digit scoring effort of the season and eighth in two years at NJCU.
WHAT'S NEXT?
On Saturday, November 26, the Knights will host the College of Staten Island (1-2) in the 'Bayonne Bridge Series' at 3 p.m. in Jersey City. NJCU leads the all-time series, 12-6. The teams last met in the 2014 ECAC Metro Quarterfinals in Staten Island with CSI winning, 79-74, on March 5, 2014. The last meeting in Jersey City was a 79-69 win on November 24, 2009.