New Jersey City University Athletics

JERSEY CITY, NJ…Senior guard Jason Cameron (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) scored 26 points and senior guard Joey Spiegel (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) added 18, as the backcourt tandem combined for 44 of William Paterson University’s 61 points, and the Pioneers held New Jersey City University to just 28.6 percent shooting, defeating the Gothic Knights, 61-53, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference North Division game on Saturday at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

 

One year after NJCU eliminated the Pioneers from NJAC Tournament contention, WPU (17-5, 9-2 NJAC), the first place team in the NJAC North Division, put the Knights (14-10, 6-6 NJAC) on the brink of missing the conference tournament for the first time since 2003 and only the third time since 1993. WPU clinched a tournament berth, sweeping the season series from NJCU, which won both games last year. The Pioneers won each meeting this year by eight points.

 

The Knights, who have lost six of eight NJAC games since opening the slate 4-0, and four of their last five games overall, need to defeat Montclair State University on Wednesday, February 20, and then have MSU lose at Ramapo College on February 23, to claim the third and final North Division berth. NJCU defeated MSU on January 23, 76-61. Otherwise, the Knights will not participate in the league tournament.

 

NJCU, which had not shot below 30 percent in a game in two years prior to this week, have done so in consecutive games. The last time NJCU shot less than 30 percent in back-to-back games was at WPU and Rutgers-Newark on December 4, 2002 (.283, 15-53) and December 7, 2002 (.242, 16-66). Ironically, those are the same schools NJCU lost to this week.

 

WPU, which entered the game with the #2 ranked scoring defense of 407 teams in Division III (55.7) and fourth-best field goal percentage defense in the nation (.378), limited the Knights to 8-of-34 shooting in the second half (.235). NJCU shot .286 from the field (16-56) and three-point range (6-21) in the loss.

 

Cameron, who scored 22 in the Pioneers’ 77-69 win over NJCU on January 19, shot 7-of-12 from the field, 5-of-9 from three-point range and 7-of-10 at the line, while scoring 13 points in each half. He finished with six offensive rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes. The rest of the WPU team shot 1-of-6 from three-point range.

 

Spiegel had 18 on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and the line, adding four assists and three steals, and sophomore forward Abdoulaye Ouedraogo (Newark, NJ/Science) added 10 rebounds (nine defensive) and six points, despite being in foul trouble most of the night. The remainder of the WPU lineup combined for just 11 points.

 

Junior All-America guard DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain East (Pa.)) led the Knights with 16 points (4-14 FG; 3-9 3FG), to increase his career total to 1,249, and the all-time program leader in three-pointers made knocked down the 200^th triple of his career in the loss.

 

On Senior Night at NJCU, senior forward MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) matched his career-high by seizing a game-high 14 rebounds, adding 10 points (5-13 FG) in 38 minutes. Senior swingman AARON DESIR (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) had eight rebounds and seven points—all from the line (7-8), while sophomore forward DASHAN MARTIN (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) added nine points and five boards. Senior point guard SHY MARTINEZ (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) had six points and three assists in his final home game.

 

Early on, it appeared NJCU had righted the shooting ship, and led 11-4 with 12:49 left after a pair of John foul shots. The second of two threes by Martinez and another bucket by NJCU gave the hosts a 19-10 lead at 8:42. At that juncture WPU was shooting 23.1 percent and the Knights were 6-of-15 (.400).

 

But Cameron scored eight straight points for WPU to close the gap to 20-18 with 6:53 left before a jumper by Spiegel followed by two Cameron foul shots after an NJCU technical foul allowed WPU to tie it and take its first lead, 24-22, to cap a 14-3 spurt. Four foul shots by Desir would eventually give NJCU back its final lead of the game (26-24) with 3:51 left in the period, before the Pioneers scored the final eight points of the half and led 32-26 at the break.

 

NJCU opened the second half on a 7-1 run and tied it at 33-33 off a John three at 15:07. However, Cameron sparked the Pioneers to a 19-3 burst and pull ahead by 16, 52-36, with 9:19 left, on a three by sophomore guard Al-Basser Holloway (Union, NJ/Newark-East Side). Cameron hit four three-pointers during the tear. At one stretch, Cameron scored nine straight points for the Pioneers, including a shot from 28 feet that made it 49-35. The 16-point lead was WPU’s largest of the game and the Knights could not draw closer than three possessions the remainder of the game.

 

NJCU will conclude the regular season on February 20 when it visits Montclair State at 6 p.m. WPU hosts Ramapo College that night at 8 p.m.