New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

UNION, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | It wasn't a pretty win, but with five games remaining in the regular season, New Jersey City University will take it. NJCU led by 10 with 5:52 remaining before Kean University scored the next 10 points and tied the game with 2:55 to play. But that was the end of the offensive production for both schools as NJCU hit a free throw with 2:03 left and the Cougars missed their final five shots from the field and the line, as the Knights escaped with a 50-49 New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball win on Saturday afternoon at Harwood Arena.
 
NJCU, entering the game in last place in the five-team NJAC North Division—one game behind Montclair State University, Ramapo College and Rutgers-Newark—faced a must-win scenario and got that W, improving to 15-5 and 5-4 in the NJAC, to keep pace with MSU and Ramapo which both were victorious on Saturday. Rutgers-Newark dropped a 63-56 decision at home to NJAC South leading Richard Stockton College, meaning NJCU and Newark are now tied for fourth.
 
Meanwhile, Kean, a year after winning the NJAC South Division, fell to 3-18 overall and 2-7 in the league. NJCU leads the all-time series which dates to 1931-32, 92-33. NJCU has won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the clubs.
 
The 50 points are the fewest for NJCU in a win since December 5, 1981—a 49-46 road win over then Stockton State College. Meanwhile, NJCU held an opponent under 50 points for the third time this year.
 
Leading scorer and junior swingman KAIHRIQUE IRICK (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck) was NJCU's lone player in double figures, coming off the bench to score 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting in 25 minutes. He was the club's top scorer for the 10th time this year.
 
Junior swingman WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) had a game-high nine rebounds and added six points—none more crucial than his free throw with 2:03 left than snapped a 49-49 tie and proved to be the winning point. Junior guard MICHAEL MORRIS (Burlington, NJ/Burlington City) had seven points in his fourth career start for NJCU.
 
Kean sophomore guard Michael Burton (Irvington, NJ/South Plainfield) had a game-high 16 points (6-11 FG, 2-6 3FG) but his potential winning shot with four seconds left was short, thanks in part to the defense of Morris. Senior guard Andrew Kirey (Millville, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) had 10 points (4-8 FG. 2-5 3FG) in 23 reserve minutes.
 
Meanwhile, sophomore forward Kyle Latorre (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights) scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting (3-6 FG) in 27 minutes. His lone missed shot was a big one. Latorre could not convert a layup with 50 seconds left, and after grabbing the offensive rebound and drawing a foul, missed both foul shots with 48 seconds to go with a chance to tie the game or give the Cougars a lead.
 
NJCU committed 19 turnovers in the game but managed to minimize Kean's points off giveaways to 18. NJCU shot  46.2 percent from the field (18-39) and 10-of-13 from the line (.769), but made just 4-of-16 from three-point range. Kean shot 40.9 percent (18-44).
 
“Once again we're committing too many turnovers and it's killing us,” said fifth-year head coach MARC BROWN. “It's our Achilles' heel and our decision making on offense at the end of games is not good. This was a game that would have made their [Kean's] season. We're 15-5 but we're not playing like a 15-5 team and we have to correct these late game mistakes.”
 
Brown was pleased though with the late defense by two of his top players. “I could not have asked Mike Morris to play any better defending Burton on that last shot. And Kaihrique did a real nice job in the post defending Latorre at the end.”
 
Kean led by three at halftime, 27-24, after NJCU whittled a 10-point Cougar lead down in the final minutes of the half. Leading 14-10, Burton scored 10 consecutive points during a 14-0 run that made it 24-14. He added another jumper, for a 26-16 lead with 3:25 left, but after scoring his 14^th point of the game, only scored two points the rest of the game. Three pointers by senior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) with 3:22 left and Irick's trey at the halftime buzzer, accounted for the three-point deficit.
 
After a pair of free throws pulled NJCU to within 27-26 to start the half, Kean used a 10-2 run to take a nine-point lead at 37-28 with 12:38 remaining  following a three-pointer by junior guard Branly Cadet (Elizabeth, NJ/St. Patrick). A pair of foul shots by Latorre gave the Cougars a 39-32 lead at the halfway mark.
 
NJCU responded with a 17-0 run over the next 4:04 to claim a 49-39 lead with 5:52 to go on a three-point play by Irick. He had a pair of three-point plays and eight points during the spurt and Morris added six of his markers, including a three-pointer seconds after his three-point play gave NJCU a 40-39 lead—its first since Kean's first half run that put the Cougars on top. Albright also had a three-point play during NJCU's 17-0 outburst.
 
Trailing 49-39 with just under six minutes remaining, Kirey knocked down back-to-back three-pointers and pulled the Cougars to within 49-47 with a fast-break dunk with 4:10 left in the game.  On Kean's next possession, Burton tied the game with a jumper at the 2:55 mark.  After a Gothic Knight miss, the Cougars were unable to take the lead on the next possession and Albright knocked down the back end of two foul shots for the 50^th point.
 
From there, Kean missed its final four shots, and both of its free throws. After Latorre failed to convert with 48 seconds left, NJCU turned it over and Kean had one final possession with 13 seconds to play. After a timeout, Burton's three-point attempt from the top of the arc didn't fall, as Irick secured the rebound to seal the win.
 
NJCU, 9-1 at home this season, plays another critical game on Wednesday, February 1 at 8 p.m. when it hosts Ramapo.
 
“The next four games, it's the [NJAC] North playing the North,” Brown summarized. “That's what it's going to come down to and that's what is going to count [in this playoff race].”