NEWARK, NJ… Junior forward
Jermont Horton (Irvington, NJ/Irvington HS) had game-highs of 22 points and nine rebounds as Rutgers-Newark survived a furious second-half rally by
New Jersey City University to post a 71-65 New Jersey Athletic Conference men’s basketball victory in The Golden Dome. The win for Newark is only the fifth in the history of the series, which NJCU leads 53-5, including 41-4 during the tenure of 24
th year head coach
CHARLES BROWN.
Since starting the season at 9-2, the Gothic Knights (11-6, 7-4 NJAC) have lost four of six and continue to struggle away from home. The Knights are 8-0 in Jersey City, but are just 3-6 in away and neutral site games. The Scarlet Raiders are 14-4 and at 7-4 pull into a three-way second place tie with NJCU and Ramapo College in the conference standings. NJCU and R-N split the season series, after the Knights won 68-59 on November 30.
NJCU lost despite reaching double digits in three-pointers made for the eighth time this season and the fourth time in six games. NJCU is 4-4 this season when hitting at least 10 treys.
Senior swingman
MARK WASHINGTON (East Orange, NJ/West Side) had 21 points (7-17, 4-9 3 FG) for NJCU, while junior center
ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) and freshman forward
DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain (PA)) each added 11.
Williams had team highs of eight rebounds (seven defensive) and three assists. Junior point guard
ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) contributed five points and seven rebounds.
Freshman guard Chadd Barnes (Newark, NJ/University) added 14 points (6-10 FG) and seven rebounds for R-N, while freshman guard David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic) and senior guard Justin Carter (Paterson, NJ/Don Bosco Tech) each chalked up nine points. Carter delivered six assists.
NJCU led for much of the first half, and maintained a five-point, 19-14 lead at 10:33, before a 7-0 run put the Raiders ahead, 21-19 at 6:11. R-N would extend the run to 15-3, and pulled in front by seven, 29-22, at 2:46 of the period, before seizing a 29-25 edge at the intermission.
Horton, Barnes, and Cherry had seven points apiece to fuel a 25-13 run early in the second half which staked the Scarlet Raiders to a 56-40 lead with 7:55 remaining. A three by Horton gave Newark a 19-point lead, 65-46, with 4:57 on the board.
But as NJCU did on January 21, when the Knights rallied from a 23-point second-half deficit at Ramapo to take a lead, only to lose by one point, the visitors mounted a furious comeback. Washington ignited a 19-3 run which wilted the Rutgers-Newark lead to 68-65 with 30 seconds left. Nine of his 21 points came during the tear. A three by John capped the rally, and pulled the Knights within a tying trey, but NJCU couldn’t score in the final seconds.
Horton gave the Raiders some breathing room with 27 seconds left with a pair of free throws before Cherry hit the first of two charity tosses with seven seconds left for the final margin.
Newark shot exactly 50 percent in each half, to finish 27-54 for the game, while NJCU bounced back from an 8-for-32, .250 first half to shoot 44.8 percent in the second period (13-29) before ending at 34.4 percent (21-61). NJCU kept itself in the game by knocking down the 10 three pointers (10-28, .357). R-N had a 28-18 margin in points in the paint.
NJCU returns to action on Saturday, January 28 at 7 p.m. when it looks to sweep a series season from Rowan University, as the Knights host the Profs in an NJAC game during Homecoming/Green and Gold Days weekend.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
