New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Senior center JAMES KAISER (Stewartsville, NJ/Columbia) notched a double-double, with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, as New Jersey City University used a 22-1 second-half run to hand Rutgers-Newark its first loss of the season, 68-59, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. NJCU continues to dominate the series, leading 53-4 all-time including 41-3 during the tenure of 24^th year head coach CHARLES BROWN.

              

The Gothic Knights win for the second straight game, and improve to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the NJAC. The Scarlet Raiders, ranked 30^th in the latest D3Hoops.com Division III Poll, fall to 3-1 and 1-1 in the league, while having its three-game winning streak snapped.

              

Kaiser had perhaps the best game of his career, knocking down 6-of-12 with an aggressive inside presence. He grabbed six of his 11 boards on the offensive glass, while delivering precise passes to his teammates in the paint in his 30 minutes of action.

              

For NJCU, senior swingman MARK WASHINGTON (East Orange, NJ/West Side) tallied 14 points (5-11 FG), and added seven assists and six rebounds in 36 minutes. It was the 24th consecutive MARK WASHINGTON" src="/images/mbasket/2005/11/30/02-07-05%20Mark%20Washington%2018.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>game he has reached double figures in scoring.

 

Sophomore guard CHARLES COLES (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) had 10 points and four steals off the bench, while freshman swingman DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain) added eight points and seven rebounds (six defensive) while overcoming seven turnovers. Junior center DEVIN DAVIS (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) contributed nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in 16 minutes of action, before fouling out.

 

R-N received a game-high 20 points from junior forward Jermont Horton (Irvington, NJ/Irvington), who shot 6-of-17 from the field and 7-of-11 from the line, but struggled from deep range (1-6 3FG). He added six rebounds.

 

Freshman guard Chadd Barnes (Newark, NJ/University) added 13 points, six assists, five rebounds, and five steals in a well-rounded 26 minutes. Senior guard Justin Carter (Paterson, NJ/Don Bosco Tech) had nine points and three assists, while senior center Chinedu Ibeh (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) contributed eight points (4-5 FG), seven rebounds (six defensive) and three steals. Senior forward Stephen Taylor (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) had four blocks.

 

NJCU opened the game up 7-0. R-N took its only lead of the first half at 14:53 on a Horton jumper, 10-9, before a 9-1 run allowed the Knights to surge in front 18-11 at 8:00. NJCU owned a 26-20 margin at the half.

 

The Raiders chipped away at the lead and tied it at 16:44 of the second half on a Carter jumper. Newark gained its first advantage of the period at 16:17, on a Carter free-throw. After NJCU took a 34-33 lead and tied it at 36-36, four straight points gave the Raiders a 40-36 margin at 15:28.

 

However a 22-1 run catapulted NJCU to a 17-point, 58-41 lead at 7:42. Coles scored eight of his 10 during the tear. NJCU scored 15 consecutive points at one point during the streak, receiving five apiece from Washington and sophomore guard NAMREH WHITE (Plainfield, NJ/Smith (NC)).

 

Trailing 60-48, the Raiders attempted to rally, scoring nine straight to cut the deficit to three, 60-57, after a three-point play by Horton. That was as close as Newark would come, as NJCU prevailed by nine, while capping the game with an 8-2 run.

 

There were a combined 53 turnovers in the contest. NJCU out-rebounded the Raiders, 44-35, including 16-10 on the offensive glass, which the Knights translated into a 14-6 margin in second chance points. NJCU also received a 19-9 edge in bench points.

 

NJCU shot 43.5 percent from the field (27-62), but struggled from the line (8-of-18, 44.4%) and three-point range (6-22, 27.3%). R-N was nearly identical, hitting 4-of-19 from beyond the arc (21.1%) and 45.8 percent from the line (11-24). The Raiders made 22-of-55 from the field (40.0%).

              

NJCU returns to action with a rare Friday contest when it visits Rowan University on December 2 for an 8 pm NJAC game in Glassboro. R-N next plays on Saturday, December 3 at 7:30 pm in a home game against Montclair State University.