DANA JOHN DRILLS 67TH THREE-POINTER, BREAKS SINGLE-SEASON RECORD
JERSEY CITY, NJ…Sophomore swingman
DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain East (Pa.)) reached the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this season and the fourth game in a row, and
New Jersey City University extended its home court winning streak to 10 games, as the first-place Gothic Knights routed Rutgers University-Camden, 69-46, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
With the win, NJCU (14-7, 8-2 NJAC) extended its amazing streak of consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better to 37 dating to 1970—the second longest active streak in Division III, and the third longest in D-III history. Only Wittenberg University (OH) at 52 seasons (1955-present) has a longer active streak; Albany (NY) had a streak of 40 straight snapped in 1995.
Meanwhile, NJCU is riding a current eight-game winning streak and has won 9-of-10 since the start of
2007. The Knights have won eight consecutive NJAC games since an 0-2 start.
Camden (5-16, 1-10 NJAC) loses its fourth straight game. NJCU has dominated the all-time series, leading 47-4, including a 46-2 ledger in the 25-year career of head coach
CHARLES BROWN (478-215). The Knights have won 37 of the last 38 meetings between the clubs.
John notched a game-high 23 points in just 28 minutes, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range. He added six rebounds. The Knights improve to 9-2 all-time when he scores 20+.
With the six triples, John now has 67 three-pointers this year in 20 games, breaking the single-season record of 65 by Ed Baum in 1991. John increased his career total to 113, moving past Omar Cooper (108 3FG, 1994-96, 99-0) and Stefon Beck (109, 1991-94) into fourth place in school history.
Junior forward
MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) shot 5-of-8 from the field, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds. He has now made 13 of his last 18 shots. Junior guard
SHY MARTINEZ (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) came off the bench to pour in 10 points, including two treys.
Also for NJCU, sophomore guard
KEVIN TUCKER (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) had eight points, eight assists, and eight steals. Senior point guard
ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) dished seven assists, as NJCU’s two starting guards combined for 15 of the team’s 19 helpers. Rookie forward
DIVINE LYLES (Watchung, NJ/Watching Hills Regionals) pulled down seven rebounds.
Three players reached double figures for the Raptors, led by senior guard Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) who finished with 15 points (5-12 FG), including 3-of-6 three-pointers and one steal. That steal gives him 158 in his career—breaking Camden’s career record he had shared with Marvin Young (1977-81).
Senior guard Sydney Francis (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) had a double-double with a game-high 13 rebounds (eight defensive) and 12 points in 40 minutes. Freshman guard Josh Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) had 11 points.
Overall, NJCU translated 24 Camden turnovers into a 32-13 margin in points off giveaways. NJCU also had a 23-3 margin in bench scoring.
In the first half, there were four ties, before NJCU gained the lead for good with 10:15 remaining. NJCU held a 30-26 halftime advantage.
But the Knights scored 11 of the first 14 points in the second period, and opened up a double-digit lead at 41-29. With NJCU leading 45-36 with 12:04 left, NJCU uncorked a 10-0 run to take a 19-point, 55-36 edge on a Lyles’ jumper at 8:50. The 10-0 spurt occurred with most of NJCU’s reserves in the game. NJCU’s largest lead was 27 (69-42) with 1:05 remaining.
After only out-rebounding an opponent three times in the first 18 games of the season, NJCU had the edge on the glass for a third straight contest.
NJCU can clinch an NJAC Tournament berth on Wednesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. when it visits William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. Camden is at Eastern University on Monday, February 5 at 8 p.m.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
|
Team Stat Comparison |
|
|
NJCU |
RU-Camden |
|
Score |
69 |
46 |
|
Half-Time Score |
30 |
26 |
|
Field Goal Percentage |
.400 (24-60) |
.313 (15-48) |
|
Three-Point Percentage |
.296 (8-27) |
.364 (4-11) |
|
Free Throw Percentage |
.619 (13-21) |
.545 (12-22) |
|
Rebounds (O-D-T) |
17-24-41 |
14-22-36 |
|
Assists |
19 |
8 |
|
Turnovers |
16 |
24 |
|
Blocks |
4 |
2 |
|
Steals |
16 |
8 |
|
Fouls |
19 |
21 |
|
Largest Lead |
27 |
5 |
|
Points in the Paint |
30 |
16 |
|
Points off Turnovers |
32 |
13 |
|
Second Change Points |
14 |
4 |
|
Fast Break Points |
12 |
6 |
|
Bench Points |
23 |
3 |
