JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball team, ranked #24 in the preseason d3hoops.com poll, opened up home play for the 2021-22 season with a bang on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 13, on Coach Charlie Brown Court at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC). The Gothic Knights, led by a whopping game-high of 27 points (including 4-of-7 from three-point range) from senior co-captain guard Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/East Orange Campus), defeated Farmingdale State College 85-63 after leading by as many as 24 points at moments throughout the second half.

NJCU (2-1) blew the doors off the Rams (0-2) from the get-go, starting the game off with a 14-0 run. The Gothic Knights eventually stretched that lead out to as many as 23 points in the first half, leading 40-17 and with 2:46 remaining and then 42-19 with 2:29 left until the break. In the second half, a free throw from senior forward Kayton Darley (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) at 14:22 put Jersey City up by 24 points for the first time at 56-32. Then, with 12:59 remaining, Banks sank a shot from the stripe of his own to make it 58-34. A burst from Farmingdale did trim the lead down to 11 points with 5:23 left on the clock to make it interesting, but NJCU closed out the game strong en route to the 22-point victory.

The Gothic Knights have now won five straight against the Rams dating back to the 2009-10 season, but this was by far the largest margin of victory over FSC during that span of success. Joining Banks in double-figures scoring was Darley with 10 points and sophomore forward Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood). The reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Rookie of the Year swatted away a career-high-tying and game-best six shots for the second time in three games this season, adding in his second double-double of the season and the fourth of his career after pulling down a game-best 10 boards to go with 11 points.

Both junior center Michael Clement (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) and senior co-captain guard Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) chipped in eight points on the day. Clement was 4-for-5 from the floor and grabbed six boards, while Battle dished out a game-high five assists. Rookies guard Zaire Jefferson (Newark, N.J./Payne Tech) and forward Corey Manning-Floyd (Jersey City, N.J./Snyder) each saw significant time on the floor in their home NJCU debuts, with the former chipping in four points and two helpers in 15 minutes, while the latter saw 11 minutes and chipped in two points and a pair of steals. Junior guard Derryen Whyte (Irvington, N.J./Union) had four points in 18 minutes off the bench, while sophomore guard Hakeem Wilson (Newark, N.J./North Star Academy) chipped in five in 12 minutes.

What's Next:
NJCU returns to the road briefly for a Hudson County battle on Wednesday night, Nov. 17. The Gothic Knights travel north to Hoboken to face the Stevens Institute of Technology for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. Jersey City is looking to defeat the Ducks for the first time since the 2017-18 season and certainly have the tools to do so.