New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score MAHWAH, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University keeps posting dominant wins to open the 2013-14 campaign and did so in historic fashion on November 23 as six different Gothic Knights scored in double figures, accounting for 87 of the club's 88 points in an 88-78 New Jersey Athletic Conference opening win over defending conference championship Ramapo College at the Bradley Center.
 
NJCU (4-0, 1-0 NJAC) remains unbeaten in the league and won its fourth straight game by double digits to open the season. The Knights shot 52.5 percent from the floor (32-61) while knocking down 12 three-pointers (12-28)—its most in a game in six seasons. Ramapo dropped to 0-2 (0-1 NJAC).
 
NJCU shot at least 50 percent in each half—15-30 in the first 20 minutes and 17-of-31 in the period (.548) while sinking six threes in each stanza. Ramapo lost despite an incredible first half shooting effort, making 16-of-23 for 69.6 percent. The Roadrunners wound up shooting 55.3 percent for the game (26-47).
 
With six players scoring in double digits for NJCU, it marks the first time since computerized statistics have been tracked that the Gothic Knights have had six players score 10 or more points in a game.
 
Senior small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) who has scored in double digits 44 times overall, notched a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-7 from three-point distance. In only his second career 20-point scoring game, he had a sensational all-around effort, also contributing nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in 36 minutes.
 
Junior point guard JOURDAN ROBERSON (Brooklyn, NY/University (Newark)) also had a top performance, netting 16 points (5-11 FG), highlighted by 4-of-8 three-point shooting, seven assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes. Sophomore shooting guard KHALID MUHAMMAD (Orange, NJ/Orange) scored 16 points, hitting for double figures for 26^th time in 32 career games, shooting 5-of-12 with five rebounds and four assists.
 
Junior shooting guard DAVID COLE (Avenel, NJ/Colonia), the only bench player to collect a field goal, was fourth on the scoring list with a career-high 13 in 17 minutes—knocking down 4-of-6 field goals and 3-of-5 three-point tries, for his fourth career effort of double digit scoring.
 
Also for NJCU, junior center EDDIE BROWN (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) tallied 11 points (5-9 FG) and six rebounds in 21 minutes while sophomore power forward FARAJI JAMES (Irvington, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) registered a career-high 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 18 minutes before fouling out.
 
In all, 12 players saw time for NJCU but only three other players outside the six in double digits even attempted a shot and only one other point was scored.
 
"We have a lot of depth this year," commented seventh-year head coach Marc Brown. "I tell these guys it's going to be a different guy every night. A couple of guys will consistently be our scorers, but we have guys who come off the bench who can be starters at other schools in this league. We're pleased with the depth this year."

Ramapo was led by Terry Hicks who collected a game-best 24 points—shooting 7-of-11 from the field (3-6 3FG, 7-8 FT) with four assists in 33 minutes.
 
The Roadrunners had three players score in double digits. Jermaine Emanuel totaled 17 points, also on 7-of-11 shooting with three assists and Frank Nock chipped in 14 points and three assists on 5-of-7 shooting. John Martens finished with eight points and eight boards.
 
"The fact that we beat them by 10 [points] with them shooting 55 percent for the game and 69 percent in the first half [says a lot]. They made shots today. Obviously we made our shots too and that really helped."
 
In a back-and-forth early game, NJCU led 10-4 before the Roadrunners utilized a 12-0 run to claim a 16-10 advantage and saw the lead increase to eight, 26-18, with 7:02 to play in the period.
 
But NJCU responded with the next nine points and an overall run of 14-1 over a span of 3:05 to stake a 32-27 margin with 3:57 to play. NJCU knocked down three consecutive treys during the initial 9-0 run—one by Albright and the next two by Cole to give NJCU a 27-26 lead with 5:04 to play. A jumper by EDDIE BROWN and a three-point play by Albright put NJCU in front for good.
 
A three by Muhammad with 3:06 left in the period pushed the lead to 37-31 and he buried another triple with 1:29 left to give NJCU its largest margin of the first half, 40-33. RCNJ made two baskets in the final minute to draw with three-points at the intermission (40-37).
 
NJCU started to pull away immediately out of the break, scoring the first seven points of the second half on field goals by EDDIE BROWN, Albright and James to seize a 10-point differential, 47-37. Martens would hit threes for Ramapo on back-to-back possessions to rally the Roadrunners to within three and scored his eighth straight RCNJ points from the line for a 50-46 deficit.
 
Four points was as close as Ramapo would get the rest of the way. Albright drilled another three to extend the lead to seven (55-48) and his final triple of the day saw the margin swell back to 10, 66-56 midway through the period. The Knights led by three possessions or more the rest of the contest. The lead reached 11, 73-62, with 4:41 remaining when Roberson sank a three and NJCU's high water mark was 12 points in the final minute.
 
With the win over Ramapo, NJCU is 2-0 against teams that qualified for the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The Knights will face their third NCAA qualifier in the first five games of the 2013-14 season when NJCU returns to the court on Tuesday, November 26 at 8 p.m. when it hosts Rutgers-Newark in its NJAC home opener at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 
Marc Brown on what it meant to have six players score in double figures, summarized the win by saying: "It means a lot. We knew we had a pretty good team coming into the season. On paper is one thing, because you still have to play the games. We have a lot of transfers and new guys and freshmen—a good mix of talent—and chemistry is everything in a team sport. These guys get along on and off the court. We're trying to build on it. It's early—just four games into a 25-game regular season. We still have a lot of work to do. But it's a great start so far and we're looking forward to Tuesday."