New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score STATEN ISLAND, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior point guard JOURDAN ROBERSON (Brooklyn, NY/University (Newark)) earned All-Tournament Team accolades by scoring 14 points, including four three-pointers and dished six assists as New Jersey City University snapped a four-game losing streak after a 5-0 season start with a 64-49 consolation game win over Rivier University in the College of Staten Island 12^th Annual Tournament of Heroes on December 29.
 
NJCU (6-4) won its first game since November 26, and its nationally ranked scoring defense limited an opponent to fewer than 50 points for the second time this season and less than 60 for the fifth time. The Gothic Knights shot 25-of-52 overall (.481) and outrebounded Rivier (4-6), 41-29. Rivier scored 34 of its 49 points in the paint.
 
Roberson shot 4-of-8 from three-point distance (5-12 FG) and scored 14 points for the second straight game while posting his third effort of five or more assists this season in 34 minutes of action.
 
Senior small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) posted his 47^th career double-digit scoring effort, notching a near double-double with 11 points (5-10 FG) and nine rebounds in 31 minutes. Sophomore shooting guard KHALID MUHAMMAD (Orange, NJ/Orange) chipped in 10 points (4-7 FG), four assists and two steals. Junior forward DREW MARLEY (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) came off the bench to tally eight points (4-of-5 shooting) and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.
 
Senior forward Tom Poitras led Rivier with a game-high 18 points (5-13 FG, 7-11 FT), four rebounds and three blocks to take home All-Tournament Team distinction. Nick Walch added 15 points (7-21 FG), nine rebounds and three assists and Kywane Thomas finished with 10 points and three assists. Rivier's top three scorers took 41 of its 51 shots and the other 11 Raiders who saw time combined for just six points.
 
NJCU shot just 1-of-9 from the foul line in the first half but led by 11 at halftime thanks to solid play from the field, shooting 51.9 percent on 14-of-27. Roberson was the difference, making all four three-point shots he attempted and 4-of-5 total shots in the period, finishing with a dozen points.
 
"We just had a streak where we weren't playing well and we played better today," noted seventh-year head coach Marc Brown on the losing skid ending. "Jourdan played well the whole weekend and JUSTIN HARTE came off the bench yesterday and was awesome. We're not getting the production out of a couple of our main guys but today different guys stepped up."
 
With 12:54 on the clock in the first half, Walch scored to give Rivier a 14-9, 5-point margin. But NJCU responded with 12 straight points and a 14-1 run overall to gain a 23-15 lead on a Marley offensive rebound and putback with 7:52 to go. Rivier was held without a field goal for a span of 5:20. Marley scored six during the run and Roberson hit a three that made it 21-14.
 
Another triple by Roberson with 6:26 left in the half and an Albright basket extended the streak to 19-3 and the lead to 28-17 with 5:56 to go and the Raiders never got closer than seven the rest of the half as NJCU gained a 33-22 advantage at the break. Rivier shot just 2-of-13 from the field in the final 12 minutes of the opening period. NJCU led by double figures the entire second half with its largest margin 18 points—48-30—with 13:20 left in the contest.
 
NJCU is back on the court for the first time in 2014 on Saturday, January 4 at 1 p.m. when it visits Kean University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference game in Union, NJ at Harwood Arena.

NOTES:

First meeting. Host College of Staten Island won the tournament with a 59-58 edging of Randolph College in the championship game. WALIK ALBRIGHT upped his career scoring total to 884 points. Formerly known as Rivier College, the school became a University on July 1, 2012. Rivier is second member of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) NJCU has played this year (Albertus Magnus College, December 1) NJCU enters the week 25th in Division III in scoring defense (NJAC leaders). JOURDAN ROBERSON reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time in 2013-14. KHALID MUHAMMAD scored in double figures for the 28th time in 37 career games. He had failed to reach double figures in his previous two games—only the second time that has happened in his career. Muhammad has 535 career points.

COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND 12TH ANNUAL TOURNAMENT OF HEROES ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
PLAYER	SCHOOL	YEAR	POSITION	HOMETOWN
Javon Cox	College of Staten Island	JR	G	Staten Island, NY
Bloochy Magloire	College of Staten Island	SR	G	Staten Island, NY
Mike Ehilegbu	Randolph College	SR	G	Raleigh, NC
JOURDAN ROBERSON	New Jersey City University	JR	PG	Brooklyn, NY
Tom Poitras	Rivier College	SR	F	Bow, NH
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Javon Cox