New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

NEWBURGH, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Mount Saint Mary College (NY) used a 17-0 run to snap a 53-53 deadlock and broke open a game that was tied 12 times, with a dozen more lead changes and the Blue Knights knocked down 13 three-pointers as New Jersey City University's 79^th season of men's basketball came to an end with a 73-62 loss to MSMC in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Quarterfinals on Wednesday night at the Kaplan Center.
 
NJCU, the No. 5 seed in the eight-team bracket, ends the 2011-12 campaign with three consecutive losses and a record of 17-8. MSMC improves to 21-7 and advances to face No. 1 seeded Stevens Institute of Technology, a winner over No. 8 Baruch College in another quarterfinal game. MSMC leads the all-time series, 2-0. It was the first meeting between the schools in nine years. The Blue Knights also won the only other meeting on March 8, 2003 in the ECAC Semifinals in Newburgh.
 
NJCU, making its 18^th appearance in the ECACs, lost its fourth consecutive ECAC Quarterfinal game since winning a record sixth ECAC title in 2006 and fall to 26-12 (.684) all-time in the tournament in 38 games. NJCU was making its 29^th post-season appearance in the last 30 seasons.
 
NJCU, playing its first game in two weeks, received a team-high 21 points from junior All-NJAC swingman KAIHRIQUE IRICK (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck), who scored 14 in the second half and finished shooting 9-for-17 with five rebounds and two blocks. He scored in double figures for the 20^th time this season and reached the 20-point mark for the ninth time.
 
In his final game as a Gothic Knight, senior point guard KEITH WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter), the 2012 NJAC Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 11 points and two assists, shooting 4-for-9 overall and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
 
Freshman JAQUAN COOK (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick) chipped in six points and senior forward TAQUAN ABDULLAH (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley) had a season-high seven rebounds with five points in his final career game. While the NJCU bench outscored the MSMC reserves, 16-2, no other Gothic Knight scored more than five points.
 
A big factor in the win for MSMC was the long-range shooting of sophomore guard Joe Stabach (Staten Island, NY). He scored a game-high 24 points in 32 minutes, knocking down eight three-pointers in 15 attempts, and 8-of-17 from the floor overall. He tallied 15 points (5-9 3FG) in the first half alone.
 
Sophomore point guard Donte Howell (Baldwin, NY) contributed 15 points, eight assists and three steals in 32 minutes and connected on 5-of-7 from three-point distance and 5-for-9 overall. Senior forward Kevin Milella (Floral Park, NY) added 17 points (8-13 FG) and five rebounds. First-Team All-Skyline Conference pick and senior forward Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) had a well-rounded effort of 11 points (4-7 FG), nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks.
 
MSMC shot 46.7 percent overall (28-60) and connected on 13-of-29 three-point tries (.448). The Blue Knights made 7-of-13 long distance shots in the second half and shot 53.8 percent in the period; MSMC also shot 15-of-28 from the field (.536) in the final 20 minutes.
 
NJCU didn't shoot poorly, making 25-of-57 field goals (.439) but was less accurate from three-point distance, netting 5-of-16 (.313). NJCU had a 22-11 advantage in second chance scoring but committed 20 turnovers which translated into 23 points off giveaways for the victors.
 
Ultimately, the game and the season came down to the final eight minutes. After scoring with 7:59 remaining to gain a 53-51 lead, NJCU was held scoreless for exactly five minutes, and that was all the time that the hosts needed, as MSMC drilled three three-pointers and scored 17 consecutive points to build a 68-53 lead with 3:41 to go.
 
Milella forced the 12^th tie of the game with a jumper with 7:43 left and Stabach sank his seventh three to give the Blue Knights the lead for good. Milella scored off a Stabach steal to extend the lead to five before Stabach and Howell buried back-to-back threes in a span of 32 seconds, making it 64-53. A fourth-chance tip-in by Valdez with 4:09 left and a Milella jumper with 3:41 to play made it a 15-point game. Howell would give MSMC its largest lead, 71-55 (16 points) when he hit another three with 2:45 left and NJCU wasn't able to overcome it.
 
“We obviously had a few defensive breakdowns in a row, tried to call timeout to settle the team down, and then went out and made the same mistakes defensively,” said fifth-year head coach Marc Brown about the decisive 17-0 run. “Our perimeter defense today was horrible.”
 
Further discussing the defensive lapses late, Brown explained by saying “we were slow on the switches and slow on the hedges with the bigs. It cost us. With them being home, they were comfortable on their home court and with good shooters, it's a recipe for disaster.”
 
In a first half with six ties and six lead changes a Cook layup tied it at 24-24 with 6:57 left. The Blue Knights responded by scoring 11 of the next 13 points over a nearly five minute stretch, gaining a 35-26 margin for its largest lead of the first half. Milella had six points during the spurt and Stabach made one of his threes.
 
NJCU answered back by scoring the final seven points of the first half, including a three by Williams seconds before the intermission, then extended the run to 11-0 when Williams and Irick scored quick baskets to start the second half. The clubs traded ties at 37-37, 39-39, 45-45 and 51-51.
 
Irick scored eight of NJCU's 12 points of the second half and tied the game at 45-45 with 11:55 remaining after Howell had hit a three for a 45-43 edge. Stabach answered 19 seconds later with his sixth three of the game for a 48-45 lead and Valdez turned a steal into a transition basket for a 50-45 advantage. Irick brought NJCU back with six straight points—two foul shots, and layups at 9:52 and 9:13, to give NJCU a 51-50 edge. He scored 14 of NJCU's first 18 points of the second half before Mount Saint Mary unleashed the decisive 17-0 run to win it.
 
One year after winning the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament, NJCU, which started the year 9-1, went just 8-7 during the 2012 portion of the schedule.
 
“I'm extremely disappointed with the second half of the season,” said Brown. “We didn't get the job done. We didn't work as hard defensively and didn't get enough good basketball from enough people. It was the exact opposite of last year. Last year we started poorly and finished strong; this year we started strong and finished poorly. I'm looking forward to recruiting and bringing in tougher guys for next year.”