New Jersey City University Athletics

 

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…New Jersey City University received a team-high 18 points from senior swingman and tournament Most Valuable Player MARK WASHINGTON (East Orange, NJ/West Side) and defeated Kean University for the third time this season, 69-61, to win the 2006 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Metro championship, Saturday at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. The ECAC championship is a record sixth for NJCU and its first since 2001.

               

NJCU, the third seed in the tournament, finished the season at 20-9, by winning nine of its final 10 games to close out the year. It marked the 14^th time in school history the Gothic Knights have recorded a 20-win campaign. It is the second time in three years that NJCU has registered a 20-win season. The Knights have won more ECAC titles than any school, also taking home the crown in 1981, 1983, 1993, 1994 and 2001. NJCU was 12-2 at home this season.

 

ALEX MIRABEL (left) and MARK WASHINGTON with ECAC's Karen Kuhlman." src="/images/mbasket/2006/3/4/03-04-05%20NJCU%20captains%20Alex%20Mirabel%20%28left%29%20and%20Mark%20Washington%20with%20ECAC%27s%20Karen%20Kuhlman.JPG" width=299 align=left border=0>The ECAC title was NJCU’s 11^th overall in all sports, including women’s basketball, women’s bowling, men’s soccer, and men’s indoor and outdoor track and field.

 

NJCU, making its 24^th consecutive appearance in the post-season continued its dominance in the ECAC Tournament, improving to 25-8 (.758) all-time in the event, while reaching the finals for the ninth time in 14 trips to the championship. NJCU is 6-3 in ECAC Finals. NJCU advanced to this season’s final with wins over #6 seeded Ramapo College (84-62) and #2 Richard Stockton College (73-56).

 

Kean University, the eighth seed in the tournament, finished the season at 15-13, but had its six-game winning streak snapped. The Cougars, the 2005 ECAC champions, were making a second straight appearance in the finals. Kean reached the finals with wins over top-seeded Manhattanville College (99-92, 3OT) and #4 Mount Saint Mary College (93-57).

 

NJCU won all three meetings with Kean this season, winning contests on January 4 (81-75) and February 4 (74-70). NJCU is 37-11 all-time and 23-3 at home against Kean in the 24-year career of head coach CHARLES BROWN. NJCU had won five straight games against the Cougars.

 

“I’m proud of the team and the accomplishments they had this season,” said Brown. “At the beginning of a season we always say we want 20 wins and a post-season championship, and tonight we accomplished both on the same day. It’s the end of the season so I’m a bit sad because we’re losing some pretty good players in seniors MARK WASHINGTON, James Kaiser, Ben Balcom, and SANNI OJIBARA, but I’m happy for them that they went out as champions, and it has been an honor and a pleasure coaching these young men.

 

“And to win an ECAC championship on the same day that my best friend [Steven Royster, head track and field coach] wins an ECAC championship is even more special,” Brown added, referring to the ECAC Division III men’s indoor track and field title won earlier in the day, marking the first time in school history NJCU had won two ECAC crowns on the same day.

 

MARK WASHINGTON, Most Valuable Player" src="/images/mbasket/2006/3/4/03-04-06%20Mark%20Washington%2C%20Most%20Valuable%20Player.JPG" width=299 align=left border=0>Washington earned MVP honors by scoring 18 points (6-16 FG) with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, to finish his career as the No. 5 scorer in school history with exactly 1,600 points. He passed Eric Moore (1,587 points, 1976-80) for fifth place in the game, becoming the first new player to be ranked in the top five since 1990. He finished his career winning three championships, including the 2004 New Jersey Athletic Conference and 2005 Association of Division III Independent titles.

 

NJCU junior center ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) notched a double-double with 12 points (5-9 FG) and 10 rebounds (seven defensive), while freshman forward DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain (PA)), this week’s NJAC Rookie of the Week, had 13 points (5-11 FG), seven rebounds and three steals.

 

Junior forward DEVIN DAVIS (Red Bank, NJ/Red Bank Regional) shot 5-of-7 with 11 points, four assists, and four blocks. Senior swingman SANNI OJIBARA (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) had eight points and NJCU improved to 9-1 since he played his first game of the season on February 4.

 

Sophomore forward Bryan Keller (Piscataway, NJ/Piscataway) led Kean with a game-best 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, and made five threes (5-9). Senior forward BJ Hamby (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) tallied 16 points (4-9 FG) and six rebounds, and sophomore guard Lamar Wright (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) chalked up a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds (nine defensive), adding three blocks.

 

With NJCU starting a mostly senior lineup that featured a mix of first and second teamers, Kean jumped out to an early 16-6 lead at 14:33, as Keller hit two threes.  NJCU battled back with a 13-0 run to grab a 19-16 lead as Washington had five points and Williams chipped in four. After Kean tied it at 19-19, NJCU unleashed another spurt, 10-2, to pull in front 29-21 at 6:09, as John scored six straight points for the Knights, extending the scoring outburst to 23-5.

 

Kean closed the gap to 33-29 at 3:45, before the Knights uncorked another 10-2 run to gain a 43-31, 12-point margin with 1:00 left in the opening half. NJCU led by 10 at the break, 43-33. NJCU owned a 21-0 difference in bench scoring in the period.

 

In the second half, NJCU would extend the lead to as many as 14 on two instances, including a nifty spin move by Williams to make it 55-41 at 14:01. Kean would attempt to rally, and twice cut the deficit to as little as five in the final 4:15 of the half. However, NJCU’s offensive ball movement, which has been a critical element of its offense all season, paid dividends one final time, as John found Williams wide open on the right post for a layup at 1:48 that put the game away. Davis followed with his 73^rd block of the season and one final slam dunk, as NJCU won by eight.

 

NJCU had a 29-8 margin in points off 22 Kean turnovers, and its bench outscored the Cougars, 38-4. NJCU shot 39.7 percent (25-63), and won despite hitting a season-low three three-pointers (3-20, 15.0%). Kean shot 39.2 percent (20-51) and 6-of-17 from long range (35.3%), while making 15-of-18 at the line (83.3%).