New Jersey City University Athletics

JAMAICA, NY…Junior All-America guard DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain East (PA)) scored 21 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and sophomore guard JOSH LOPEZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary’s) added 15, as the two shooters combined for nine three-pointers, but York College used a decisive advantage in free throw opportunities and shot 52.3 percent overall as the Cardinals overcame a late New Jersey City University comeback bid, 70-67, in the 2008 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Metro Quarterfinals on Wednesday at York Gymnasium.

 

With the loss, the 75^th season of Gothic Knight basketball ends with a 14-12 record, while #2 seeded York (21-8) advances to face #6 New York University. NJCU, the seventh seed in the tournament, loses the final four games of the season and suffered six losses in its final seven games. The 14 victories are the least since going 14-13 in 2002-03, but the Knights still record their 33^rd consecutive winning season and qualify for the post-season for the 26^th straight year.

 

The game was NJCU’s first-ever at York and the first between the schools since November 1997. NJCU still leads the all-time series, 3-1. NJCU is 26-10 (.722) all-time in ECAC Tournament history over 16 appearances.

 

Overall, NJCU shot 12-of-27 from three-point range, knocking down a season-high for treys—the third time this year the team has made at least 10. But NJCU only attempted five free throws (3-5) and were charged with 10 more fouls than the Cardinals. York shot 18-of-34 from the line. Each team was playing without two of its starters. York had a 32-16 advantage in scoring in the paint.

 

John chalked up 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including 5-of-10 three-point shooting, but was unable to hit a three at the buzzer that could have forced overtime. He finished with four steals and four rebounds in 38 minutes. He increased his three-year scoring total to 1,281 points, still 14^th in program history. It was his 25^th career game with at least 20 points and the Knights are now 19-6 all-time when John scores 20, including 7-4 this year.

 

Lopez scored nine of his 15 points in the first half, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range, while contributing a career-high five assists in 20 minutes. Freshman small forward DEREK MILLER (Newark, NJ/East Side) had 10 points (4-8 FG; 2-3 3FG), while senior point guard SHY MARTINEZ (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) finished with eight points, five rebounds and four assists. Among the starters missing for NJCU was senior center MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) who had started 51 of NJCU’s last 52 games.

 

York had five players in double figures, led by senior forward Chris Roberts (Jamaica, NY/Springfield Gnds) who scored 13 of his team-high 21 points (7-13 FG) in the first half. In 37 minutes he added eight rebounds (six defensive) and was 7-of-14 from the line. Sophomore guard Jonathan Winns (Elmhurst, NY/Newtown) had nine of his 13 points in the second half, shooting 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point range, adding eight rebounds.

 

Senior guard Michael Salamanca (Hollis, NY/Cardozo), freshman forward Rodney Bennett (Corona, NY/Chaparral) and freshman forward Omari Phipps (Laurelton, NY/St. John’s Prep) each had 10 points. Salamanca tallied five assists, Bennett contributed seven rebounds and Phipps chipped in five boards. The remainder of the Cardinals lineup mustered just six points.

 

NJCU had not played a game in 14 days coming in and looked sluggish in the early going, particularly John who had only two points on 1-of-5 shooting in the opening period. Each team had four lead changes in the half. NJCU twice led by five points, including 21-16 with 6:48 left in the stanza, before York ran off a 13-2 spurt to gain its largest lead of the first 20 minutes, 29-23. A three by Miller with 2:42 left stopped the streak and York led by four at the break, 31-27.

 

York opened up a six point lead with 13:15 remaining in the game, before NJCU tied it when Miller and Lopez bagged consecutive threes in a 13-second span and moved in front 46-45 when John canned the first of his five triples with 11:44 to go. A John trey with 10:29 left made it 51-47, and his lay-up at 9:47 gave the Knights a five-point lead, before York tied it at 53-53 off a lay-up by Roberts and a three from Winns. York hit another three and Bennett followed with two foul shots for a 58-55 lead before John drilled another three for the seventh tie of the game—58-58—with 6:39 left.

 

But York scored the next eight points for a 66-58 margin, and never trailed again. Bennett hit a three 12 seconds after John tied it, and after a technical foul on the Knights in which the Cardinals made just one of four foul shots, a Roberts lay-up with 2:32 left made it 66-58. John hit a three with 1:58 left to cut it to five and Lopez made it a three-point game with 1:02 remaining when he drove to the basket for a wild field goal and converted the subsequent free throw.

 

Salamanca made two free throws with 34 seconds left for a 69-64 edge before John received a pass from Lopez with 21 seconds to go and made it a two-point game, 69-67, with the 209^th three-pointer of his career. Bennett missed the front end of two foul shots with 16 seconds left to give NJCU life. Trailing 70-67, NJCU brought the ball up court for one final attempt at a tie, but John, who could not get off a truly clean shot, had his attempt to force overtime rim out in the final seconds.