New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
 
GRANTHAM, PA (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University senior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) notched eight of his team-best 16 points in overtime and five different players scored in double figures as the Gothic Knights won their first regular-season tournament under head coach MARC BROWN, defeating host Messiah College, 72-66 in one overtime, in the championship game of the Homewood Suites by Hilton Tournament.
 
Junior swingman KAIHRIQUE IRICK (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after scoring 29 points on 13-of-25 shooting with 11 rebounds in two games. Junior small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) earned All-Tournament Team selection after netting 25 points (9-for-16 FG) with 13 rebounds during the weekend.
 
NJCU improves to 2-0, winning its first tournament since claiming the Emmanuel College Tip-Off Tournament on November 18-19, 2006 in the final year of Hall-of-Fame coach Charlie Brown's tenure. Messiah (2-1) loses its first game of the season. It was the first-ever meeting between the schools in men's basketball.
 
NJCU shot 4-for-5 from the field in overtime and made 6-of-7 foul shots (.857), while holding the Falcons to 3-of-9 shooting in the extra session.
 
“This was a good result for us,” noted fifth-year head coach Marc Brown, the 2011 D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, about his first tournament title. “KEITH WILLIAMS did an excellent job this entire week and this weekend. He has gotten off to an excellent start this season and played a complete game today. He was key to us winning this tournament.”
 
Although Williams didn't earn a tournament award, he had a solid two-game effort with 23 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
 
He led the Knights tonight with 16 points, including 9-of-10 free throw shooting (3-6 FG), eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in 35 minutes.
 
Irick chalked up 14 points (6-13 FG), five rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes while Albright collected 13 points (5-10 FG) and nine rebounds (seven defensive) in 27 minutes before fouling out.
 
Senior center MATT WASHINGTON (Hackensack, NJ/Paterson Catholic) finished with 10 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, and six rebounds in 28 minutes. Senior forward TAQUAN ABDULLAH (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley) added 10 points (4-7 FG) in 23 minutes. Those five combined to score 63 of NJCU's 72 points.
 
Junior forward Derek Mosley (Stafford, VA) earned All-Tournament Team honors for the Falcons with 17 points (7-12 FG), including 3-of-6 from three-point distance. Sophomore guard David Fernandez (Miami, FL) also secured All-Tournament Team status with 16 points (7-11 FG) and four assists.
 
Freshman guard Zach Hoy (Mifflinburg, PA) added 12 points and sophomore guard Christyan DeVan (Harrisburg, PA) had seven rebounds.
 
Messiah made seven three-pointers, versus just one for NJCU, but the Knights scored 40 points in the paint. NJCU out-rebounded the hosts, 40-24, including 14-6 on the offensive boards in a game where the Knights outshot Messiah. The Knights had a 10-2 edge in second chance points.
 
NJCU shot 48.1 percent overall (26-54) including 11-for-19 accuracy in the second half, good for 57.9 percent. Messiah made 10-of-20 in the second half to rally from a 12-point deficit to force overtime.
 
Messiah led for most of the first half, and held a nine-point, 21-12 advantage with 9:45 on the clock. Irick, who scored eight points during a late first half run and had 10 in the opening period, helped NJCU tie the game as the Knights tallied nine consecutive points, evening the slate at 21-12 with 5:51 to play. After Messiah regained a lead on a three, the Knights claimed their first lead of the game on a Washington layup with 3:25 left and led by one at the half, 31-30.
 
Coming out of the locker room, NJCU opened the second half with a big offensive push, scoring 13 of the first 17 points and gained a 44-34 lead with 14:37 left when Abdullah turned a steal into a dunk. The lead swelled to 12, 48-36, with 12:20 to play, on a layup by Irick off an offensive rebound.
 
Messiah began whittling the lead down with its three-point shots. Hoy, sophomore forward Taylor Groff (Lancaster, PA) and senior guard Trey Ritzman (East Salem, PA) each sank triples and the lead was suddenly three, 50-47, with 6:56 left. A dunk by Abdullah stopped the bleeding and NJCU pushed the lead back to eight when Williams converted a pair of foul shots with 5:31 on the clock. Albright made the front end of two foul shots with 2:03 remaining to keep it a three-possession lead, 56-49.
 
But Messiah rallied again. After Hoy made two free throws, Mosley sank a three with 1:27 left, shaving the lead to two, 56-54. Irick made it a four-point lead with 60 seconds to play before Fernandez finished a layup with 43 seconds left and Messiah got the ball back on an NJCU turnover. Fernandez tied the game with a reverse-layup with five seconds remaining to force overtime.
 
Needing five more minutes to finish off the Falcons, the Gothic Knights were up to the task, using a pressure defense to take over. Washington put NJCU back on top with a quick bucket and after a pair of free throws by Albright, Washington made it a six-point lead with another layup. Williams contributed assists on both baskets.
 
After a fast-break basket by Mosley with 2:36 left, the lead was only four. Williams drilled a jumper for a 66-60 lead with 1:18 remaining before a three by Mosley once again made it a one-possession contest with 70 seconds left. Williams scored off a dish from Washington with 43 on the clock before Hoy cut it to two points with 25 seconds to go, after he converted a three-point play off a driving layup.
 
Messiah was forced to foul, and Williams finished off the Falcons, burying four free throws in a span of three seconds to extend the lead to six, sealing the win.
 
After going 11-2 at home last season, the defending NJAC champions open their home schedule on Tuesday, November 22 at 8 p.m. on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court' at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center in a non-conference contest against Medgar Evers College.