NJCU (10-9, 4-5 NJAC) keeps its NJAC Tournament hopes alive while snapping a three-game losing streak and remains above .500. Meanwhile, Kean has its three-game NJAC winning streak end, falling to 7-13 overall and 4-5 in the league. NJCU has won eight of the last nine meetings between the schools and leads the all-time series, which dates to 1931-32, by a commanding 90-32 margin (known results only).
In a wild game where NJCU vaulted out to an 18-point, 28-10 lead, only to see Kean score 25 consecutive points between the first and second halves, the Gothic Knights took advantage of two Cougar starters fouling out and its leading scorer off the bench—junior forward Jonathan Jones (Linden, NJ/Linden)—committing a costly foul with 7.2 seconds remaining after Rogers gained control of a rebound. That carom was created when junior small forward JOSH CAVER (Trenton, NJ/Fairless Hills (Pennsbury, PA)) swatted the shot of Kean senior guard Vinnie Darpino (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), driving with a chance to take the lead.
Rogers hit the back end of two foul shots. Freshman small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) knocked the ensuing inbounds pass away. With 5.9 seconds left, freshman guard Mike Shaughnessy (Linwood, NJ/Mainland Regional)'s subsequent inbounds pass was too low, and Kean fired up a loose-ball, desperation shot from the right wing, which rimmed out, before Rogers swooped in to grab that board before the Cougars could try again.
Albright led NJCU in scoring with 11 points (4-9 FG) while senior guard JOSH LOPEZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary's (Jersey City)) contributed nine points (2-7 FG, 3-4 FT). He drained his first two shots of the game—both triples—and despite missing his next 10 (2-12 FG), made three critical foul shots to first tie the game at 55-55 with 2:37 left, then put NJCU up, 57-55, with 2:08 to go. He added three assists and three steals.
Rogers had eight points (3-6 FG, 1-1 3FG), five rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. Freshman power forward ISAIAH JOHNSON (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus), a three-time NJAC Rookie of the Week, and junior power forward TOM McDERMOTT (Kearny, NJ/Kearny), each had seven points.
Jones came off the bench to post game-highs of 20 points (8-12 FG) and 12 rebounds (11 defensive), with two assists and two steals in 32 minutes before fouling out in the final seconds. He created a difficult match-up problem for NJCU inside as he recorded his seventh straight double-double. Darpino had nine points (2-9 FG, 5-5 FT) for Kean. No other player had more than six points for the hosts.
Behind Lopez's two early three-pointers, NJCU claimed a 10-2 lead in the opening 2:44 of the game. After a layup by Jones cut it to 14-10, NJCU scored 14 consecutive points to snatch a 28-10 lead with 4:24 left in the opening period. Six different players scored for NJCU during that run, including five by Johnson.
But NJCU was held scoreless for the rest of the half as Kean scored 14 in a row to make it a four-point game, 28-24, at the break. The Cougars continued their run in the second half, scoring the first 11 points to claim a 35-28 lead on a Jones jumper with 15:05 to go. Albright finally scored a layup with 14:47 remaining to end the 25-0 spurt, giving NJCU its first points in a span of 9:37 stretch over two periods. NJCU went 0-for-10 from the field and committed five turnovers during this span.
Meanwhile, Jones scored six of Kean's final 14 first-half points and collected 10 of the hosts' 25 points during the overall spurt. A three-point play by Kean senior forward Rodlin Pierre (Orange, NJ) gave the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 38-30 with 14:23 left.
NJCU answered back with a 9-1 run. Junior point guard
COREY DIXON (Linden, NJ/David Brearley) hit a three to cut it to 38-35, and
Rogers drained another three with 12:28 left before
Albright tied it with a foul shot. It proved to be the second of five total ties in the game. A dunk by
Jones broke the tie and Kean would move back in front by five, 52-47, with 7:44 left.
NJCU held Kean without any points for a stretch of 3:15 and scoreless from the field for a span of 6:39 after senior guard Dean Hughes (Pemberton Twp., NJ) scored a layup with 8:34 left. McDermott cut it to one, 52-51, with 4:44 on the board and Rogers tied it with a layup off a Lopez assist with 4:14 left, making it 53-53. Hughes kept Kean in front with two foul shots (55-53, 3:32 left) before McDermott and Lopez each hit the back end of two-shot situations from the line. Lopez' freebie tied it, before he put NJCU in front for the first time since the early stages of the half when he sank both of his free throws with 2:08 remaining.
Hughes tied the game with a jumper with 1:55 left, ending the field goal drought. Each team had two opportunities to take the lead on ensuing possessions. After NJCU committed a turnover with less than 24 seconds left, Kean had the ball with the shot clock off. Darpino took an inbounds pass from Shaughnessy, drove the left side of the lane, before Caver, who had just entered the game for defensive purposes prior to the play, blocked it away and Rogers grabbed the rebound, before being fouled by Jones, which set up the final sequence.
NJCU won despite shooting 14-of-28 from the line (.500); Kean made .731 from the stripe (19-26) and had a 38-19 advantage in bench scoring, highlighted by Jones' effort. But NJCU made 6-of-17 from three-point distance (.353) and the Cougars were held 0-of-9 from deep.
NJCU next plays on Monday, February 1 at 8 p.m. when it hosts John Jay College in a non-conference game at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on “Coach Charlie Brown Court.” John Jay is 1-18 and has lost its last 14 games; NJCU is 12-0 all-time versus the Bloodhounds.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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|
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NJCU
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KEAN
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Score
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58
|
57
|
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Half-Time Score
|
28
|
24
|
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Field Goal Percentage
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.373 (19-51)
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.396 (19-48)
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|
Three-Point Percentage
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.353 (6-17)
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.000 (0-9)
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Free Throw Percentage
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.500 (14-28)
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.731 (19-26)
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|
Rebounds (O-D-T)
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10-23-33
|
8-25-33
|
|
Assists
|
8
|
9
|
|
Turnovers
|
16
|
17
|
|
Blocks
|
4
|
2
|
|
Steals
|
6
|
5
|
|
Fouls
|
21
|
26
|
|
Largest Lead
|
18
|
8
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
20
|
24
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
21
|
14
|
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Second Change Points
|
12
|
11
|
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Fast Break Points
|
0
|
4
|
|
Bench Points
|
19
|
38
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