JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball team used a late-second-half surge to come away victorious on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 3, against New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) foe The College of New Jersey at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC). The Gothic Knights trailed at one point by 13 with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation, but thanks in part to 14 second-half points from junior forward Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood), they stormed back for the two-point, 67-65 victory over the Lions.
Four different NJCU (4-3, 1-2 NJAC) players finished the day in double-figures scoring, with five notching at least nine points in the overall team victory against TCNJ (2-4, 1-2 NJAC). The first half was mostly even until the Lions eventually took at six-point, 18-12 lead with 6:45 remaining until the break. However, a strong 8-0 run — including five points from senior co-captain point guard Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) — put Jersey City ahead by two with 5:01 left, which eventually allowed the home team to take a three-point, 29-26 advantage into the half.
Led by a game-high 25-point performance from Anthony DiCaro — he was 10-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-14 from three — the Lions were dominant for the majority of the second half and looked to come away with an easy victory thanks to a 13-point, 57-44 lead with 8:47 remaining in the game. However, that gap was quickly erased via a 14-2 run to swiftly swing momentum back to the Gothic Knights, who now trailed by just one with 5:12 remaining.
Following what looked to be a dagger of a three by DiCaro at 8:47, Savoy answered back with his second three of the night to make it a 10-point game. Then, trailing by 12 at 59-47 with 7:56 left, NJCU took advantage of the Lions' miscues and made eight straight foul shots — including four from junior guard Pharoh Allah (Rahway, N.J./St. Genevieve (Calif.)) — to make it a four-point, 59-55 game with 5:27 remaining. Finally, junior forward Jacob Valeus (Pleasantville, N.J./Pleasantville) capped off the run with a three to make it a one-point game.
TCNJ answered back with a bucket in the paint, but Savoy quickly returned the favor with one of his own, draining the bucket and drawing the foul to tie it up with just 4:28 left. Allah then put NJCU up by two with 3:01 left. The Lions split their next free throw opportunity to keep the home team up by one. Tied at 64-64 with 1:24 left, neither team scored until Allah drained a jumper in the lane with just 22 seconds left to make it 66-64, NJCU. TCNJ had a chance to tie it up with just six seconds remaining, however they missed the second of two free throws and then Savoy grabbed the rebound and drew a foul. He iced the game, making one of two from the line, for the two-point, 67-65 victory.
Highlights:
- Gilbert led NJCU with a team-high 15 points on an efficient 7-of-10 from the floor, adding five boards and a steal.
- Savoy scored all of his points — 14 — in the second half on just 3-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 2-of-2 from three, and was 6-of-7 from the stripe. He also had four boards, two steals and a block.
- Battle chipped in 11 points, a game-high-tying three assists, a block — the 5-foot-7 guard stuffed TCNJ's 6-foot-9 forward Danny Bodine at 9:48 in the first — two boards and a steal. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.
- Valeus also had 10 points and a game-best eight rebounds to go with an assist and a block. He was 3-of-5 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from three, and was 2-of-2 from the foul line.
- Allah saw 15 minutes off the bench and scored nine points to go with three boards.
Up Next:
NJCU returns to action on Wednesday night, Dec. 7, as another NJAC squad in Ramapo College comes to the JMAC for a scheduled 8:00 p.m. tipoff. The Gothic Knights have topped the Roadrunners in three straight and six of the last eight.