New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University overcame its third consecutive 20-plus turnover outing by forcing The College of New Jersey to commit more giveaways as the Gothic Knights outlasted the Lions, 62-54, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball game on Saturday night at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 
NJCU, which has averaged 22 turnovers in its last three games, used its pressure defense to force 26 TCNJ miscues as the Knights reeled off a 23-9 margin in points off giveaways.
 
NJCU improved to 13-4 overall and 4-3 in the NJAC, and is now 8-1 at home this season, winning 19 of its last 20 home court contests. The Knights guaranteed no worse than a .500 record for the 41^st time in 42 seasons and snapped a two-game losing streak. The Lions, winners of two straight coming in, fell to 8-11 (2-6 NJAC). Since the 1955-56 season, NJCU leads the series, 68-40.
 
The contest was NJCU's annual 'Green and Gold Day' game and the Knights are now 4-5 all-time during the event, winning the last three games.
 
Three players scored in double figures for NJCU despite shooting 36.7 percent from the field (18-49). Junior swingman KAIHRIQUE IRICK (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) was NJCU's top scorer for the eighth time this year, netting a game-best 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting (4-5 FT) with six rebounds in 32 minutes. Irick overcame a career-worst seven turnovers.
 
Junior swingman WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) provided 12 points, most coming from the foul line where he was 7-for-14. He added eight rebounds and three assists. Junior guard MICHAEL MORRIS (Burlington, NJ/Burlington City) came off the bench to contribute 11 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the line, with five steals in 20 minutes.
 
Senior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) had five points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals while freshman forward JAQUAN COOK (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick) blocked four shots as the Knights rejected nine as a team.
 
TCNJ freshman guard Emmanuel Matlock (Trenton, NJ/Solebury) had a team-high 14 points, making 5-of-6 while senior guard Kyle Rawson (Warren, NJ/Watchung Hills) had a game-high 10 rebounds (seven defensive) and eight points. Sophomore forward Daniel Balevski (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro South) added seven points and seven rebounds.
 
“The pressure at the end of the game worked; they panicked with the pressure and that's what won the game for us,” fifth-year head coach Marc Brown summed up. “But we're not playing very well right now. We're winning games because we have good offensive players. A win is a win no matter how ugly. This is another conference win and that's key but we're not pushing each other out there [on the court] and no one is stepping up into a leadership role of running the team.”
 
In a back-and-forth first half, NJCU was able to build an eight-point lead when Irick buried a three with 6:59 left for a 22-  
In a game with eight ties and six lead changes, the clubs faced a see-saw scoreboard for much of the second half. After Williams hit a triple to put NJCU back in front by three, junior guard Donovan Smalls (Union, NJ/Union) answered with a three 19 seconds later to tie it at 36-36. Two baskets by Rawson gave the Lions their largest lead of the night, 40-36.
 
Albright buried a three for a 41-40 lead with 9:12 to play and Irick converted a three-point play with 8:31 left and NJCU would not trail the rest of the night. But the Lions made NJCU work for the lead, re-tying the game when Rawson sank two from the line with 8:04 left.
 
A three-point play by Albright put NJCU in front to stay with 7:05 remaining and a steal and fast-break layup by Morris made it 49-44. The Knights maintained as much as a six-point lead, including 56-50 with 2:56 to go. TCNJ cut it to three with 2:16 left, and had a chance to draw closer before Cook came up with a key block on Balevski inside. Cook missed two from the line with 1:23 left but Morris clinched the offensive rebound to keep possession and Albright extended the cushion from the line, 58-53, with 1:09 to play before Williams and Morris iced the win with foul shots in the final 20 seconds.
 
NJCU looks for its 14^th win on Monday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Brooklyn College in its final non-conference game of the regular season. TCNJ is off until a home game against Eastern Connecticut State University on Thursday, January 26.