New Jersey City University Athletics

BOX SCORE

ANNVILLE, PA…For the second consecutive game to begin the 2008-09 season, the New Jersey City University men's basketball team trailed at halftime by a 40-32 margin. But this time, there would be no second-half outburst as Hood College shot 58.6 percent on 17-of-29 in the second period, and defeated the Gothic Knights, 80-67, in the opening game of the Rinso Marquette Tournament hosted by Lebanon Valley College on Friday night at LVC Gymnasium.

NJCU (1-1) was playing in the LVC Tournament for the third time, after winning in 1999-00 and losing an overtime heartbreaker in 2004-05. With the loss, NJCU will meet either host LVC or Penn State-Altoona in the third place consolation game on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Hood improves to 2-1 overall and is 2-0 all-time against the Knights. Hood defeated NJCU, 85-82 in the finals of the Moravian College Tournament on January 8, 2006.

In defeat for NJCU, freshman small forward RASHAWN SMALLS (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) led the club with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 25 minutes. He scored 13 of his points in 16 minutes in the second half after getting into first-half foul trouble.

Senior shooting guard KYLE INGRAM (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) contributed 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting (2-5 3FG) while freshman power forward FARRAKHAN WELLS (Newark, NJ/Westside) just missed a double-double, grabbing a game-high nine rebounds, to go along with 10 points and two blocks. Junior point guard JOSH LOPEZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) added seven points while freshman power forward DALLIS RICKS (Roselle, NJ/David Brearley), in his first game for NJCU after coming out late for the team, tallied six points and five rebounds.

Blazers' senior guard Ryan Junghans (Derwood, MD/Magruder) paced all scorers with 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 5-of-6 three-pointers and 6-of-6 from the foul line, adding six rebounds. Senior center Jeff Willison (Hancock, MD/Hancock) finished with 18 points (6-9 FG, 6-6 FT).

Hood also received 13 points (5-6 FG) and six rebounds from senior guard Tim Abercrombie (Walkersville, MD/Gov. Thomas Johnson) and 11 points (5-11 FG), five rebounds and five assists from junior forward J'Air Brady (Frederick, MD/Gov. Thomas Johnson). Freshman guard Brenden Straughn (New Carrollton, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt) delivered six assists and six steals.

Hood, which never trailed, shot .458 in the first half and limited NJCU to 12-of-36 in the period (.333). The Blazers scored the first nine points of the game and led by as many as 16 after Junghans and Willison hit four free throws for a 30-14 lead with 8:53 left in the period. A Junghans three made it 37-24 with 2:38 left before NJCU outscored the Blazers 8-3, as Wells scored six points, to close the half.

However, despite shooting 14-of-29 in the second half (.483), NJCU could not draw closer than a three-possession game. Hood opened a 55-36 lead on another Junghans jumper with 15:54 remaining. A jumper by Wells with 10:14 left made it an eight-point, 60-52 deficit, before the Blazers sealed the game by gathering a 13-2 run to regain a 19-point lead, 73-54, with 4:17 to play.

Hood held a 15-3 advantage in assisted plays in the game. The Blazers finished at .528 shooting for the night (28-53) and .500 from three-point range (7-14).