New Jersey City University Athletics

 

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Senior center ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) scored 12 of his  season high 20 points in 13 minutes in the first half  and sophomore swingman DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain East (Pa.)) collected 19 points and four three-pointers, as top-seeded New Jersey City University defeated NJAC North No. 3 seed Rutgers-Newark, 79-69, in the 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference men’s basketball semifinals, played Wednesday at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

 

NJCU improves to 18-8 overall and has won 12 consecutive games against NJAC opponents this season. NJCU has won 11 of its last 12 games overall since January 10, and 12 of its last 13 home contests since last season. Rutgers-Newark falls to 17-10, and will await word of a possible invite to the ECAC Metro Tournament, which would be their third in as many years.

 

NJCU will host Ramapo College (20-7), the No. 2 seed in the North Division, for the 2007 NJAC championship on Friday, February 23 at 7 p.m., with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament at stake. NJCU will be seeking its record 12^th league championship and its third NCAA berth in the last four years. The Knights last won the conference title in 2004. Ramapo’s only NJAC title came in 2005.

 

DANA JOHN" src="/images/mbasket/2007/2/21/01-20-07%20Dana%20John%2013.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>NJCU and Ramapo will be playing for the seventh time in the last two seasons. NJCU has won the last three meetings between the schools, including both this year. The Knights won the NJAC regular season title on February 17 with a 79-64 victory in Mahwah. NJCU won the home court meeting on January 24, 73-66. It will be the second meeting between the schools in six days.

 

NJCU has a decisive 55-6 lead in the all-time series against Rutgers-Newark and 22-2 at home in the rivalry. The Knights are 43-5 against the Scarlet Raiders during the 25-year tenure of head coach CHARLES BROWN (482-216).

 

Williams finished with 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting, with four rebounds and three assists. It was his fourth career 20-point effort and the first since December 2, 2004. John scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, as the Gothic Knights opened up a 21-point cushion at 12:45 of the period. He shot 4-of-11 from long distance, adding six rebounds and two blocks, while extending his single-season record for triples to 83.

 

Also for NJCU, sophomore guard KEVIN TUCKER (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris), the smallest starter on the floor for either school at 5-foot-10, grabbed a game and career-high 11 rebounds (10 defensive), KEVIN TUCKER" src="/images/mbasket/2007/2/21/01-20-07%20Kevin%20Tucker%204.jpg" width=150 align=left border=0>while adding game highs of seven assists and five steals. Junior forward MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) seized 10 rebounds, nine points and three assists.

 

NJCU was able to limit Newark’s two All-Conference selections, sophomore guard Chadd Barnes (Newark, NJ/University) and sophomore swingman David Cherry (Linden, NJ/Roselle Catholic), to a combined three points in 37 minutes—season lows for both players. Barnes entered the game as the third leading scorer in the league at 17.4 and had scored in double figures in 22 of his last 26 contests. Cherry had a 13.3 average, but was held scoreless on five shots; he had reached double figures in 23 of 26 games.

 

Four players did reach double figures for Newark, led by senior guard Phillipe Slater (Newark, NJ/University) with a game-best and career high 22. He shot 6-of-13 overall, 3-of-9 from long-range and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw stripe. Senior guard Quran Wimberley (Newark, NJ/St. Anthony’s) finished with 15 points (3-8 3FG), and freshman guard Deshawn Singleton (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) had 12 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Derryck Alexander (Lakewood, NJ/Lakewood) had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.

 

Newark led 20-19 at 9:22 of the first half before a 10-0 run over 2:27 allowed the Knights to take the lead for good. Junior guard AARON DESIR (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) closed the run with a three-pointer and lay-up for a 29-20 margin at 6:55. NJCU was ahead 37-29 off a Williams jumper at 2:36, before seven straight Raider points cut the deficit to one—37-36—with 1:13 remaining in the half. It was the closest Newark would get the remainder of the game, as John drilled his 80^th three of the season and Hill had an offensive rebound and putback as time expired, for a 42-36 halftime cushion.

 

Barnes made it a six-point game (45-39) when he hit a three-pointer, his only field goal of the night, at 18:20. But from there, NJCU sprinted to a 15-0 run over a span of 5:35 to put the game out of reach, as the Knights opened up a 21-point, 60-39 advantage. NJCU hit three triples during the decisive run, and John had eight of the 15 points. The Raiders could not draw closer than nine the remainder of the night, and trailed by at least 15 until the final 3:42 of action. Newark shot 15-of-18 from the line (83.3%) in defeat.