New Jersey City University Athletics

 

HEMPSTEAD, NY…The New Jersey City University bench outscored Briarcliffe College, 48-9, and the Gothic Knights registered a 21-7 margin in second chance scoring as NJCU defeated the Seahawks, 66-52, in a non-conference game at the Island Garden Basketball Center. The game needed only 1:16 to be played.

 

NJCU wins its second straight and improves to 13-8, while Briarcliffe falls to 10-14. NJCU, which outrebounded the Seahawks, 49-34, including 22-9 on the offensive glass, leads the all-time series, 2-0. The win was only NJCU’s third road victory of the season.

 

All 14 active players saw at least eight minutes of action, and 11 scored, paced by 12 points from junior power forward DEVIN DAVIS (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional), who shot 5-of-6 from the field, adding seven rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes. Junior center ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) scored eight of his 10 in the first half, shooting 5-of-10, with five rebounds and three assists in 14 minutes. Senior swingman MARK WASHINGTON (East Orange, NJ/West Side) collected nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

 

Also for NJCU, sophomore shooting guard CHARLES COLES (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) and junior point guard ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) each added six points. Senior center JAMES KAISER (Stewartsville, NJ/Columbia) seized seven rebounds. NJCU finished shooting 40.3 percent ABRAHAM WILLIAMS" src="/images/mbasket/2006/2/7/01-28-06%20Abraham%20Williams%204.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>from the field (29-72) and 6-of-20 from three-point range.

 

For the Seahawks, sophomore guard David Pankey notched a game-high 19 points (6-14 FG, 3-8 3FG), adding five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 37 minutes. Freshman forward Rondu Stevens had 11 points (4-10 FG), while sophomore guard Jonathan Harris and freshman guard Alvin Parker each had seven. Sophomore point guard Christopher Wells had seven boards, six assists and three steals. Briarcliffe shot 38.0 percent overall (19-50).

 

After seven lead changes and four ties in the first half, NJCU gained a seven-point, 36-29 cushion with 21 seconds left in the opening period, before a three by Pankey made it 36-32 at the break.

 

With NJCU playing all of its reserves, Briarcliffe hung around early in the second half, and led by three, 43-40 at 16:10 after a trey by Parker. However, a 14-2 run by NJCU over the next 5:27 put the Knights on top 54-45 at 10:43. The Knights controlled the second half, and extended the run to 26-5 with 1:22 left when Davis tipped in an offensive rebound to give the visitors an 18-point margin—their largest lead of the game at 66-48—before prevailing by 14.

 

NJCU will return to New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, February 8 at 8 p.m. when the Knights, tied for fourth in the league, host seventh-place Montclair State University. The Red Hawks are only one game behind NJCU, Ramapo and Rutgers-Newark in the conference standings.