New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…New Jersey City University the No. 3 seed in the 2006 New Jersey Athletic Conference, led by 21 points in the first half, and 19 at the break, but couldn’t make it stick, as sixth-seeded Ramapo College outscored the Gothic Knights by 30 in the second half and stunned the host team, winning 89-78 in an NJAC Quarterfinal game Tuesday night at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. The game was a feature between the last two conference champions and the top two teams in the NJAC preseason poll.

               

Ramapo (17-9), the defending conference champions and preseason favorite, who needed a tiebreaker just to qualify for the tournament, will visit second-seeded Richard Stockton College on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Pomona, NJ in the NJAC semifinals.

 

NJCU (17-9) sees its six-game winning streak end, and falls to 10-2 at home this season. The 2004 conference champions and preseason No. 2, will likely have its streak of consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament snapped at two. Instead, NJCU will wait until next week to see if it receives one of eight bids to the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament. The Knights have qualified for the NCAA or ECAC post-season tournaments in 24 consecutive seasons.

 

NJCU falls to 15-17 all-time in the NJAC Tournament and 11-5 at home. It was only NJCU’s second-ever conference tournament loss in the JMAC (4-2).

 

In a tale of two halves, NJCU shot 51.2 percent in the first half (22-43) and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc, hitting eight three-pointers (8-17). However, NJCU committed 14 of its 20 turnovers in the second half, and shot just 26.9 percent in the period (7-26). Meanwhile, the Knights were 1-of-11 from three in the half (.091).

 

RCNJ made 34.3 percent of its shots in the opening half (29-67), but rebounded for a 17-of-32, 53.1 percent rate in the second period. Furthermore, the Roadrunners only committed five turnovers in the second half, after coughing up 10 in the first 20 minutes.

 

Ramapo shot 72.7 percent from the line overall (24-33), including 19-of-25 in the second period (76.0%). NJCU made just 11-of-21 overall from the stripe (42.0%).

 

For the Roadrunners, sophomore guard Ahmad Mosby (Jersey City, NJ/St. Anthony) scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the second half. He shot 7-of-11 overall, 3-of-5 from deep, and 8-of-11 from the line, with four assists and three steals. Senior guard Quameir Harding (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) added a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds (11 defensive).

 

Five players scored in double figures for RCNJ. Junior guard Antoine Pryor (Elizabeth, NJ/St. Patrick’s) contributed 14 points, a game-high seven assists, and six rebounds. Freshman guard Timothy Wesley (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) (4-of-9) and junior forward Jamall Jenkins (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick) (5-of-8) each collected 10 points. Jenkins scored all of his points in the second half in critical moments.

 

Senior swingman MARK WASHINGTON (East Orange, NJ/West Side) poured in a double-double for the Knights with 15 points (5-17 FG, 2-10 3FG), and 14 rebounds (11 defensive), with six assists. ALEX MIRABEL" src="/images/mbasket/2006/2/21/01-28-06%20Alex%20Mirabel%2014.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>Now with 1,551 points he is 37 shy of moving into fifth in school history. Junior point guard ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) scored 13 of his team-high 16 points in the first half. He shot 5-of-9 and 3-of-3 from three-point range, with seven rebounds.

 

Four NJCU players had double figures, including junior center ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln), who had 13 points (4-11 FG). Freshman forward DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain (PA)) chipped in 12 points (5-11 FG). Junior power forward DEVIN DAVIS (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) had seven points, five rebounds, and four assists.

 

After a 19-19 tie with 12:28 left in the first half, NJCU unleashed a 14-0 run to take a 33-19 lead at 6:21 on a Ramapo team which had entered the game losing two straight and five of six. That run extended to 22-4 as a three by Washington made it 41-23. A jumper by Washington gave NJCU its largest lead—a 21-point, 48-27 cushion—with 1:40 remaining, and NJCU went to the break ahead by 19, 52-33.

 

NJCU scored first in the second half and again led by 21. However, RCNJ reeled off a 28-9 run over the next 9:21 of the period, and closed the gap to 63-61. Wesley had seven points, and Pryor and Jenkins each added six during the spurt.

 

The Knights worked the lead back to nine, 70-61 on a Davis three at 8:12. But RCNJ would outscore the hosts, 19-8, the remainder of the game. A jumper by Pryor tied the game at 74-74 with 4:45 left, and a steal and fast-break bucket by Mosby at 4:25 gave the Roadrunners a two-point lead it would not surrender. Leading by three with 2:57 left, a jumper by Jenkins at 1:21 extended the visitor advantage to five, 80-75. From there, RCNJ was almost automatic at the stripe, as Harding, Pryor, and Mosby hit six in a row and 8-of-10 to close the game.

 

The Knights scored only five points in the final 6:27 of the game, and missed the final seven shots they attempted. Meanwhile, NJCU committed eight turnovers in that span, including a costly shot clock violation with 1:40 on the board and the game still within reach.

 

Ramapo finished shooting 43.3 percent (29-67) and 46.7 from deep (7-15). NJCU made 29-of-69 (42.0%) from the field and 9-of-28 (32.1%) from long range. In defeat, NJCU out-rebounded the Roadrunners, 47-41, and had a 25-10 edge in second chance points.