JERSEY CITY, NJ…Sophomore swingman Matt Byrnes (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) scored 21 of his game-high 33 points in the second half, and junior swingman Tim Bowser (Millville, NJ/Millville) added 16 of his 29 in the second period, as Rowan University rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit and a late tie, to hand New Jersey City University its first home loss of the season, 91-89, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. The game was Homecoming/Green and Gold Days at NJCU and the Gothic Knights are 0-3 on Homecoming since the date was switched to coincide with basketball season in 2003-04.
NJCU (11-7, 7-5 NJAC) entered the game 8-0 at home this season, but lose for the third consecutive game and the fifth time in seven contests since opening the campaign at 9-2. NJCU fell into a tie for fourth place in the league, after owning a piece of first place for most of the first two months of the season. Rowan University (11-7, 7-5) has won two straight and splits the season series with each team winning on the opponent’s floor.
With the loss, six teams in the NJAC are within one game of each other at the top of the standings. Ramapo, Rutgers-Newark, and William Paterson are all 8-4 in the conference standings, while NJCU, The College of New Jersey, and Richard Stockton are each 7-5. Rowan, Kean, and Montclair State are 5-7, meaning nine of the ten teams in the league are within three games of each other.
Byrnes shot 12-of-21 from the field and made 5-of-11 three-pointers, adding eight rebounds in 36 minutes, as Rowan made half of its three-point tries (8-16), and shot 53.8 percent from the field (35-65). The Profs were good on 20-of-36 shots in the second half (.556), outscoring the Knights 53-41 in the period.
Bowser made 10-of-16 from the field and 9-of-10 at the line, while grabbing nine rebounds, with five steals and four assists. Senior guard Will Baumgardner (Glassboro, NJ/Buena Regional) finished with 13 points (5-9 FG), including 3-of-3 from long range, and dished four assists. No other Rowan player had more than six points or five rebounds.
Senior swingman
MARK WASHINGTON (East Orange, NJ/West Side) nearly registered a triple-double with 21 points (8-18), eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals, and five Knights scored in double figures in defeat. Freshman forward
DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain (PA)) contributed 12 points (5-16 FG), but was 1-of-10 from long range. He added six rebounds and five assists. Junior power forward
DEVIN DAVIS (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds, with nine points and two blocks.
Senior center
JAMES KAISER (Stewartsville, NJ/Columbia) collected 11 points and eight rebounds, while junior point guard
ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) had 10 points, five boards, and four assists. Senior point guard
ROB FREENEY (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) tallied 10 points on 3-of-7 three-point shooting.
The Knights opened the game on fire, seizing a 17-9 lead as Washington and John each scored seven points in the first 14:12 of the game. NJCU increased the edge to 22-11 and 24-14. Rowan drew within three at 7:30 of the period, 28-25, before the home team regained a double-digit margin and held a 48-38 advantage at the half. The Knights made six threes in the first stanza.
Rowan opened the second half on an 8-2 streak to climb within four, and remained close from there, finally tying the game for the first time with 12:31 left on two Bowser charity tosses. From there, the Profs unleashed a 12-0 run, moving in front 67-59 on a Bowser three-point play. After two NJCU free-throws cut the lead to 69-66, a Bowser layup increased the visitors’ lead to 76-67.
An 8-0 streak by NJCU allowed the Knights to claw within one, 76-75 at 6:07, when Washington hit a layup for his fourth straight point, but a Byrne trey made it 79-75, and another three at 3:50 by the fifth-leading scorer in the country, made it an eight-point, 84-76 cushion.
The Knights would roar all the way back to tie the game at 84-84 with 1:55 left, as a three by Freeney, a John free throw, and two consecutive layups by Washington and Mirabel evened it. A jumper by Baumgardner made it 86-84 at 1:34. The Knights had a chance to tie, but Davis, who has led the NJAC in assist/turnover ratio the entire season by a huge margin, committed only his 23rd giveaway of the season with 1:09 left. Byrnes sank four freebies, including two with 13.4 on the board, as the Profs hung on to prevail. Freeney hit a late three at the buzzer.
NJCU lost despite out-rebounding its opponent, 47-36, including a 24-10 margin on the offensive glass, which led to a 27-11 advantage in second-chance points. The Knights shot 41.3 percent for the game (33-80) but just 25.0 percent from deep (9-36), with 14-of-23 at the line (.609). Rowan made 13-of-17 from the stripe (.765).
NJCU, 3-6 in away and neutral site venues this season, looks to reverse that trend with an NJAC game at Richard Stockton College on Wednesday, February 1 at 8 p.m. Rowan hosts Kean the same night at 6 p.m.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
