JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball squad ground out a hard-fought, much-needed New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory at home at on Coach Charlie Brown Court at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) on Wednesday night, Jan. 10, against Rutgers-Camden. NJCU trailed by three early in the first half, but then built up a 15-point lead late in the period before taking a 39-25 lead into the break. The Gothic Knights then built up an 18-point lead on two occasions in the second half before closing out the 13-point victory.

Four players finished in double-figures scoring for the Green and Gold (5-10, 2-6 NJAC) including the first-career NCAA double-double for junior guard Jaheim Lewis (Hillside, N.J./Hillside), a second-semester transfer out of Essex County College, making his Gothic Knights' home debut. He ended the game with 13 points and a game-best 10 rebounds, while senior forward Avante Gilbert (Paterson, N.J./International) led NJCU against the Scarlet Raptors (8-7, 3-5 NJAC) with a team-best 16 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting, thanks in part to a nice stretch midway through the second half.

As mentioned, Rutgers-Camden went up by three, 11-8, early on the first before NJCU used an 11-0 run to jump out to an eight-point, 19-11 lead with 8:54 left in the half. The Scarlet Raptors cut it back down to a three-point deficit with 7:12 to go until the break, but NJCU went on an 8-0 run, including six made free throws, to go up by double figures for the first time on the night, 29-18 with 4:26 remaining in the first. Eventually, the Green and Gold built up a 15-point lead before taking that 14-point advantage into the locker room. Eight Gothic Knights scored in the first, led buy nine points from Lewis and eight from junior guard Hakeem Wilson (Newark, N.J./North Star Academy). 

The Green and Gold scored eight of the first 12 points in the second to go up by 18 for the first time, 47-29 with 18:04 to play in regulation. That run was culminated by an emphatic dunk by Gilbert, who notched nine of his 16 points in the second half. However, leading by 17 at 54-37 with 13:19 to go, the Scarlet Raptors started to make it interesting once again, going on a 10-0 run to cut it to a seven-point game at 54-47 with 10:45 left on the clock. Thankfully, the Gothic Knights righted the ship with an 8-0 run of their own to go back up by 15 at 62-47 with 8:07 remaining. Eventually, NJCU managed to once again lead by 18 at 75-57 with 3:36 to go, thanks in part to some nice shooting from senior co-captain Will Brown III (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) — he finished the night with 12 points over 19 minutes off the bench, shooting an efficient 5-of-7 from the floor, with nine of those points coming in the second half alone. When the final buzzer sounded, NJCU came away with the 77-64 victory.

Highlights:
- Wilson with the fourth Gothic Knight in double figures, finishing with 12 on 5-of-9 from the floor.
- Junior forward Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) played a game-high 34 minutes and finished with eight rebounds, five points, two blocks, two assists and a steal.
- Gilbert added five boards and four steals to his offensive performance.

Up Next:
NJCU returns to action on the road this Saturday afternoon, Jan. 13, in Galloway, N.J., as the Gothic Knights take on Stockton University at 1:00 p.m.