DALLAS, Pa. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball team picked up its third consecutive victory today, Saturday, Nov. 19. The Gothic Knights topped another Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) opponent, this time on the road at Misericordia University. NJCU staved off a late-second-half comeback attempt by the hosting Cougars and held on for the 77-74 victory. Junior forward Jacob Valeus (Pleasantville, N.J./Pleasantville) had a team-high 16 points on the day, including 12 in the second half.

Jersey City (3-1) built up an 11-point lead midway through the first half against Misericordia (2-3) before taking a six-point lead into the half. Forwards senior Kayton Darley (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) and junior Avante Gilbert (Paterson, N.J./International) combined for 16 of the team's 44 points over the first 20 minutes. Overall, 10 Gothic Knights scored in the first half. An 8-0 run than began with a three from sophomore guard Zaire Jefferson (Newark, N.J./Payne Tech) at the 12:15 mark saw NJCU take a 28-17 lead — senior guard Keshon Smith (Queens, N.Y./Martin Van Buren) sank a bucket and a free throw, while freshman forward Branden Moore (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) also chipped in a bucket.

As mentioned, the Cougars got it back to within six to end the half. Misericordia continued to claw back in the second and eventually took a one-point, 51-50 lead with 14:11 to go. However, the Gothic Knights answered with a quick 8-0 run to go back up by seven at 59-52 with 12:27 left — Valeus had five of the points over that stretch.

Misericordia continued to hang around and chipped away some more until the home team held a one-point, 70-69 lead with only 3:20 left in regulation. Valeus answered immediately with a three-pointer to put NJCU back ahead for the final time, as the squad did not give up the lead again. Senior guard Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) followed with a three of his own at 2:08. The Cougars made one last effort with four straight to make it a one-point game at 75-74 with 53 seconds left, however Battle stepped up in the game's final moments, drawing a shooting foul and sinking both foul shots to ice the three-point victory at 77-74.

Highlights:
- Valeus was 7-of-12 from the floor for his 16 points and had a game-high-tying seven boards to go with a pair of assists and a steal.
- Darley, Battle and Gilbert all chipped in 10 points. Darley had four boards and four assists, Gilbert had five boards and Battle led all players with a game-high seven assists.
- Senior forward Yvens Monfleury (Newark, N.J./American History) chipped in eight points, three assists, two blocks and a game-high-tying seven rebounds.
- NJCU had 17 offensive rebounds compared to the Cougars' four and outscored Misericordia 18-5 in second-chance points.

Up Next:
Jersey City returns to action when the squad opens up New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play for the season. The Gothic Knights welcome Montclair State University to the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) on Tuesday night, Nov. 22, in the second half of a women's/men's doubleheader, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Coach Charlie Brown Court.