UNION, NJ - The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's basketball team suffered a 90-75 loss to Kean University on Saturday, February 1. 

NJCU (12-8, 7-6) edged Kean in the paint 42-32, however, it was the disparity in bench points that ultimately allowed the Cougars to grab the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win. Avante Gilbert (Paterson, N.J./International) tied his season-high with 18 points on 80% shooting from the floor while Isaiah Johnson-Williams (Jersey City, N.J./Don Bosco) extended his streak to five games with double-digit points. Jaheim Lewis (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in the loss. Kean (11-9, 9-4) picked up its second win of the season over the Gothic Knights behind DJ Alicea's 26 points. The win for the Cougars is also the seventh straight win over the Gothic Knights, dating back to the 2021-22 season. 

NJCU's offense struggled to start the game, tallying just 10 points through the opening 10 minutes which also saw a three-minute scoring drought by the Gothic Knights. Johnson-Williams ended the scoreless streak with a layup at the 9:20 mark, cutting the lead down to 13. A 17-3 run by the Cougars, which began with 7:48 remaining in the first half, burst the game open and ballooned Kean's lead out to 27. The Gothic Knights began to gain steam as the quarter came to a close, behind a stellar offensive showing by Johnson-Williams. In the final minute of the half, he cashed back-to-back threes and a pair from the charity stripe to send NJCU into the locker room down 16. 

The second half began with both teams matching each other on the offensive end. Eventually, the Gothic Knights began to gain a foothold, cutting the lead down to 14 thanks to a tip-in by Arterio Williams (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West). The Cougars made sure not to allow the Gothic Knights to get back in the game and went on a 5-0 run capped by a three-point bucket from Adam Silas. NJCU's offense would go dormant once again as Kean extended its lead to 22 points with 5:32 remaining in the game. Matt McSorley (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) made the most of his time off of the bench as he converted from range off of a steal from Brenden Kelly (Clark, N.J./Elizabeth). NJCU made one last push to try to bring the game within striking distance, however, Kean tightened up its defense to close out the win. 

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Wednesday, February 5 when they host Stockton University at 7:30 pm.

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