New Jersey City University Athletics

 

GLASSBORO, NJ…Freshman swingman DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain) scored a career-high 27 points and sophomore guard CHARLES COLES (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) poured in a career-best 22, including six three-pointers, as the duo combined for 49 points and 10 threes, as New Jersey City University toppled Rowan University, 82-75, in overtime, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at Esby Gymnasium.

              

The win for NJCU (4-2, 2-1 NJAC) is its third in a row and fourth in five games, as the Gothic Knights were playing for the third time in five days. Rowan falls to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the NJAC. In a game with 56 combined turnovers, including 31 on Rowan, the two teams traded seven leads and four ties. Despite an off shooting night overall, NJCU hit for 71.4 percent in the overtime period (5-7).

              

John scored 16 of his 27 in the second half and OT, shot 10-of-21 from the field, and made four threes (4-12), while adding eight rebounds and four steals in 39 minutes. Coles came off the bench to crush his previous scoring high of 14 points, as the shooting guard finished with 22, highlighted by an astounding 6-of-12 from long range. He was also 8-of-16 from the field in 32 minutes. They were the only NJCU players in double figures.

              

Junior point guard ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) nearly collected a triple-double, finishing with nine rebounds (six defensive), eight assists, and seven points, with three steals in 40 minutes. Junior center DEVIN DAVIS (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) tallied eight rebounds (five offensive), seven points, and three assists. Senior swingman MARK WASHINGTON (East Orange, NJ/West Side), who has been battling a sore back, had his streak of 24 consecutive games with double figures in scoring snapped, but he did grab six rebounds with four points.

              

Sophomore forward Matt Byrnes (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest), the NJAC’s leading scorer, had a double-double, with 23 points (7-16 FG, 3-10 3FG), 11 rebounds (10 defensive) and three assists. Senior guard Steve Thomas (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Twp.) added 14 points and four assists but coughed up six turnovers. Each player logged 42 minutes for the Profs.

              

Freshman guard Kevin Darby (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) scored 10 on 5-of-6 shooting in 22 minutes off the bench. Sophomore center Hendrick Salomon (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro) provided seven points and eight rebounds in 20 reserve minutes. Junior guard Tim Bowser (Millville, NJ/Millville) had nine points.

              

NJCU owned a 51-44 rebounding edge, including 20-7 on the offensive glass. John and Coles were the only NJCU players to hit a three, as they combined to shoot 10-of-24 (41.7%). The rest of the team shot 0-for-12 from deep, as NJCU sank 27.8 percent from long range for the game. The Knights hit 30-of-78 from the field (38.5%) and were just 12-of-28 at the line (42.9%).

              

Rowan made 16-of-23 freebies (69.6%) but just 3-of-14 from long range (21.4%). The Profs were 28-of-61 from the field (45.9%). Rowan was 15-of-30 (50.0%) in the second half and 3-of-5 in overtime (60.0%).

              

The Profs led the entire first half, and were in front by as many as eight, 11-3, in the period. A three-point play by John at 18:31 gave NJCU its first lead, and after Rowan regained control for one possession, the Knights maintained the advantage in the game for most of the second half. The NJCU lead fluctuated between one and seven, until Rowan finally tied it at 5:38 on a Byrnes free throw. A Coles three allowed NJCU to regain the edge, but a Byrnes three at 3:20 put Rowan back in front, and his jumper at 2:35, made it 65-62. Coles answered with a running jumper in the lane at 2:25 to shave the deficit to one, and he nailed another three with 1:39 on the board, to give the Knights a 67-66 margin.

              

Bowser converted two free throws with 43 seconds left to allow Rowan to momentarily regain a 68-67 lead, before Washington sank one of two at the line to tie the contest. Byrnes missed a three with time winding down that could have won it for the home team.

              

In overtime, NJCU scored quickly, and never trailed again. Coles drilled a three only five seconds into the extra session, and John added another bomb just 19 seconds later to give the Knights a 74-70 edge. After a lay-up by Byrnes sliced the lead in half, Washington finished a lay-up off a John pass, and Mirabel found Davis wide open for a dunk, as NJCU pulled ahead, 78-72 with 2:33 remaining.

Rowan did not draw closer than three the remainder of the game.

 

NJCU returns to action on Wednesday, December 7 at 8 p.m. when it hosts Richard Stockton College in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.