New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Inside-the-Athlete Feature, DREW MARLEY

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University led by 16 points in the second half and by 10 with nine minutes to go before William Paterson University staged a late comeback, fueled by 23 points in the second half by reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Year Lance Brown (Teaneck, NJ/Paterson Catholic) to force overtime. Then with 18 seconds remaining in the extra session and the Pioneers unaware the shot clock was expiring, the guests heaved up a 38-foot desperation three-pointer that banked in, as WP outlasted the Gothic Knights, 69-64 (1 OT) in a conference game on January 5 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 
In the 139^th known meeting between the two programs with the most championships in NJAC history (NJCU, 12; WP, 11), Brown's career-high 34 points paced the defending NJAC champions to their third straight win as WP improved to 7-5 (4-3 NJAC).
 
The Knights shot .462 in regulation but made just 1-of-8 from the field in the extra period, in suffering their second consecutive overtime loss while playing for the third time in four days to open the 2013 portion of its schedule. NJCU falls to 4-9 overall and is 0-7 in the NJAC for the first time since the league formed in 1957-58.
 
In defeat for NJCU, 3-time NJAC Rookie of the Week and swingman KHALID MUHAMMAD (Orange, NJ/Orange) scored 16 points (7-11 FG; 2-5 3FG) and six rebounds as he led the Knights in points and rebounds for the fourth straight game. He now has led NJCU in scoring 10 times this season—reaching double figures on the scoreboard for the 10th time in 13 games to open his career—while pacing NJCU in rebounds for the eighth time.
 
Sophomore point guard DAKWAN SIMMONS (Newark, NJ/University) reached double figures for the third straight game and fourth time this season, netting 16 points (5-9 FG; 2-4 3FG; 4-6 FT) with five assists and four steals in 36 minutes.
 
Sophomore shooting guard DAVID COLE (Avenel, NJ/Colonia) scored NJCU's first 10 points of the game but didn't score again after that while seeing 26 minutes of action. His 10 equaled his season and career best.
 
Brown scored nine for the Pioneers in the first half (4-6 FG) before igniting in the second period when he scored 23 of the club's 37 points, while shooting 7-for-10 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point range and 6-of-9 from the line. Overall for the game he was nine points better than his previous WP two-year career best as his double-double of 34 points and 11 rebounds (nine defensive) came on 12-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point distance (6-11 FT). He did commit nine turnovers in 44 minutes.
 
Also for NJCU, sophomore power forward DREW MARLEY (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia), who played 11 games for William Paterson in 2010-11, scored nine points (4-6 FG) in 27 minutes in his first outing against his old squad. Junior guard ASMAR EDWARDS (Paterson, NJ/John F. Kennedy) had seven points, three steals and two assists while senior forward JOSH CAVER (Trenton, NJ/Pennsbury (Fairless Hills, Pa.) swiped five steals in 18 reserve minutes.
 
For the Pioneers, sophomore guard Jaques Conceicao (Massama-Lisboa, Portugal/Francais Charle Lepierre) had eight points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
 
Sophomore guard Manny Hernandez (Paterson, NJ/Paramus Catholic), who drained the desperation three late in overtime, finished with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting and added three steals. He scored six of WP's eight overtime points. Freshman guard Bright Mensah (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack) provided nine points on 4-of-4 shooting and freshman swingman Terik Bridgeman (Harlem, NY/Nia Prep) added seven (3-3 FG).
 
The Pioneers shot 54.3 percent for the contest (25-46), including 3-of-5 (.600) in overtime. WP made 9-of-17 in the first half (.529) and 13-of-24 (.542) in period two, while sinking 6-of-18 (.333) from three-point distance.
 
NJCU was 41.7 percent for the game on 25-of-60 shots, and hit seven triples (7-19, .368). NJCU turned 27 Pioneer turnovers into a 30-14 advantage in points off giveaways and a 14-4 differential on the fast break. The Pioneers received six more bench points.
 
There were five ties and three lead changes in the first half. Trailing 6-0, Cole scored NJCU's first 10 points, including two three-pointers to put the hosts ahead, 10-8. Muhammad banked in a three with 8:24 left to tie the game at 13-13 after Brown scored WP's next seven points. It was the first basket for anyone else on the NJCU roster, and Muhammad kept it going, hitting a pair of running jumpers for a 19-17 lead before Simmons had a steal and a three-quarter court breakaway. Muhammad nailed a three from the left arc for a 24-17 lead and his 10^th point of the game and freshman guard BRENT BURGESS, JR. (Roselle, NJ/Dickinson) sank a triple for 27-19. After the Pioneers drew within five, 29-24, on another basket by Brown, Simmons turned an NJCU steal into a fast break finger roll layup at the buzzer for the seven-point, 31-24 edge at the break.
 
In the second half, NJCU began to open up a sizeable advantage. A steal and fast break bucket by Edwards pushed the lead to nine. Simmons turned a steal in the lane into a long breakaway basket and then buried a three from the right sideline for a 39-26 margin. Marley's turn around layup made it 41-28 before Edwards capped a 13-4 run to open the period with a three-point play.
 
NJCU still led by 12, 49-37, with 9:19 to play when Simmons sank a 22-foot, straight away three. But WP responded with a 14-2 run over the next three minutes, with Brown scoring the next eight points unanswered and was responsible for 10 straight Pioneer points. He hit two threes in a span of 39 seconds, including a shot from the left arc that made it a 49-45 game before Mensah scored off a turnover to make it a two-point game (51-49) with 6:21 left. Muhammad's first points of the second half stopped the streak before Brown sank two from the line. Muhammad scored again but Brown who kept forcing contact, made another pair from the stripe and with 3:11 left Mensah drove to the basket to tie the game at 55-55—the first tie since 17-17 with 6:44 to go in the opening half.
 
Simmons put NJCU back in front with two free throws with 2:37 to go before Bridgeman had a dunk on a Conceicao lob pass over the defense with 2:11 left. Marley hit a baseline jumper for a Simmons dish for a 59-57 lead (1:44) but Brown tied it for the eighth time with a jumper on the left of the lane. After an NJCU timeout, Simmons was fouled and hit two from the stripe for another two-point lead (61-59).
 
Mensah was awarded two free throws with 32.8 to play and made the first to cut the deficit to 61-60. Brown was whistled for a lane violation on the second shot. WP took possession back after a turnover and Muhammad had a key block of Conceicao on the glass to get the ball back. Simmons missed a 1-and-1 chance from the line and with 12.8 to go, Brown returned to the stripe and made his first attempt to tie the game at 61-61. Edwards was called for an offensive foul with 6.7 seconds to go and WP had a chance to put up a game-winning shot. A poke steal from behind by Caver with 2.1 seconds left ended that threat and a desperation shot by Cole from beyond half court hit the backboard.
 
In overtime, NJCU hit a foul shot and led 64-61 with 2:56 to go on an Edwards offensive rebound and layup in traffic. But NJCU would not score again. WP missed two foul shots before Hernandez scored with 2:35 left to make it a one-point game and Hernandez tied it at 64-64 with 2:12 to go with the second of a pair of free throws. NJCU turned it over under the basket with 1:36 left and Brown had a missed shot carom into his open hands before scoring with 1:18 left to give WP a 66-64 advantage—its first lead since 17-15. Cole missed a jumper with under a minute to play and WP called timeout with 36.2 left. With the shot clock at two seconds, Hernandez dribbled towards the volleyball 10-foot line and heaved up the long desperation shot as the shot clock expired, banking it home to essentially seal the win for the Pioneers.
 
NJCU will seek to bounce back on Wednesday, January 9 when it heads to Camden, NJ for an 8 p.m. NJAC game at Rutgers University-Camden; the Pioneers visit #10 Ramapo College that night at 7:30 p.m. in another league contest.

 

GAME NOTES:

NJCU leads the all-time series, 75-64. WP has won the last three meetings. Simmons previously scored 16 points against Kean University on December 8. Cole previously scored 10 points against Rowan University on December 1. Brown's previous season high was 24 against Montclair State University on November 28 and his only game of 20 or more this season. His career high was 25 twice during the 2011-12 season. NJCU and WP will play again in Wayne, NJ on February 2.