New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Junior All-America guard DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain East (Pa.)) broke New Jersey City University’s all-time career three-point record with 162 in 62 games, and was one of three Gothic Knights in double figures, as NJCU led for nearly the entire game and held off a late SUNY-Farmingdale surge for a 65-59 win, late Wednesday at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

 

With the win, NJCU improves to 3-2 overall and now leads the all-time series with the Rams (2-2) by a 7-1 margin. The loss snapped FSU’s two-game winning streak.

 

In a game that didn’t begin until nearly 9 p.m. after the preceding women’s game went into double overtime, the several hundred fans that attended NJCU’s 2007-08 home opener witnessed history.

John, in the 62^nd game of his career, became NJCU’s all-time leader in three-pointers with 162 and counting, eclipsing the program mark of 160 achieved by former teammate Mark Washington in 104 games from 2002-06 (516 attempts). John, who accomplished the milestone on the 442^nd attempt of his career, reached the record in 74 fewer shots.

 

After experiencing a rare shooting drought in the first half, where he missed his first eight shots, John scored his first points with 2:07 left in the first half. But he heated up in the second half, finishing with a team-high 17 points (4-13 FG). He was 3-of-8 from three-point range, 6-of-7 from the line, and converted four of his final five shots, including three three-pointers. John now has 943 points, as he closes in on becoming the 26^th member of the 1000-point club.

 

His record-breaking three came on a shot from 24-feet out on the right wing with 8:02 remaining, off a feed from senior point guard SHY MARTINEZ (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) to make the score, 47-38.

 

Also for NJCU, sophomore forward DASHAN MARTIN (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) had the second best scoring output of his career, finishing with 14 points (4-7 FG), 5-of-5 free-throw shooting, and five rebounds in 18 reserve minutes. Freshman forward DEREK MILLER (Newark, NJ/East Side) added DEREK MILLER drives to the basket versus Farmingdale" src="/images/mbasket/2007/11/29/11-28-07%20Derek%20Miller%20vs.%20Farmingdale.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>11 points (4-9 FG). Senior power forward MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) had 11 rebounds (nine defensive), eight points, and four blocks in 35 minutes. Martinez scored eight points and had a game-high five assists.

 

The loss spoiled a 27-point performance from junior guard Damien Santana (Brooklyn, NY/Grady) who shot 11-of-22 overall in 34 minutes. He was 0-for-8 from three-point range, but made 11-of-14 inside the perimeter.

 

Junior forward Erastus Shannon (Amityville, NY/Copiague) had a double-double with 12 points (5-11 FG) and 12 rebounds, while senior guard Peter Lipka (Shelton, CT/Shelton) had 10 points (4-11 FG, 2-5 3FG) and five rebounds. Santana, Shannon and Lipka combined to score 49 of the Ram’s 59 points.

 

FSU opened a 7-2 lead to open the game, before the Knights uncorked a 14-1 run to seize control of the game. NJCU never trailed again after the first 3:39 of the first half and built a 16-8 lead on a Miller triple with 10:23 left in the opening period. The Rams were able to stay within one or two possessions, before a jumper by John with four seconds left made it a 33-25, eight-point halftime cushion.

 

NJCU took its largest lead of the game, a 12-point, 37-25 margin 1:23 into the second half when Martinez beat the shot clock with a two-handed desperation heave from 25 feet that found nylon, and NJCU’s lead stood at 11, 41-30, on a Miller jumper with 13:57 left. John’s record-breaking three allowed NJCU to maintain a nine-point margin, and a three-point play by Martin with 4:31 left increased the home advantage to 12, 54-42.

 

Two Farmingdale lay-ups within a span of 21 seconds sandwiched around a Martin dunk cut the lead to four, 58-54 with 2:00 left before John drained a huge three from the right wing with 53 seconds left. A three-point play by Shannon with 22 seconds left made it 61-57, and Santana shaved the scoreboard to two points, 61-59, with 13 seconds remaining. But Miller came through when it mattered, hitting two free throws with 13.5 seconds left, and John canned two more freebies with 5.1 remaining to cap the win.

 

The Rams had a 36-16 margin in the paint and 16-8 on the fast-break, but NJCU had a solid 29-point contribution from its bench in the victory. NJCU shot .362 overall (21-58) and .333 from deep (7-21) while the Rams were .387 from the field (24-62) and just 2-of-16 from three-point range (.125). However, the greatest discrepancy came from the line where NJCU canned 76.2 percent of its chances (16-21) and the Rams made just 9-of-19 (.474).

 

NJCU returns to action on Saturday, December 1 at 8 p.m. when it opens its NJAC schedule with a home game against Rowan University. The Rams visit Mount Saint Vincent at 12 p.m. that day.