New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score WAYNE, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Trailing by 12 with 2:26 remaining New Jersey City University rallied with nine consecutive points and had a chance to tie the game on its final possession. But a three-point try by junior point guard JOURDAN ROBERSON (Brooklyn, NY/University (Newark)) wouldn't fall as William Paterson University outlasted the Gothic Knights, 69-66, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball game on January 11 at the WP Rec Center.
 
Down 69-57, sophomore guard KHALID MUHAMMAD (Orange, NJ/Orange) had back-to-back layups (2:00 and 1:06) and a three-point play by senior small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) with 35 seconds to go set up by a Muhammad steal made it a five-point, 69-64 game. After another WP turnover, Roberson scored with 15 seconds left to cut it to three. The Pioneers' Bright Mensah went dark from the line, missing both free throws after being fouled, and Roberson grabbed the rebound, racing upcourt for the final three-point try.
 
NJCU (7-6, 3-4 NJAC) is 2-6 over its last eight games. William Paterson (11-2, 6-1 NJAC) wins its sixth game in a row and with #23 Richard Stockton College's 70-69 loss at Montclair State University, gives the Pioneers sole possession of first place in the NJAC. WP received 10 points in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, equivalent to a No. 40 national ranking.
 
NJCU shot 56.1 percent in the game (23-41), including an impressive 68.8 percent in the second half (11-16). But free throw shooting was a factor in the outcome. NJCU shot just 53.1 percent from the line (17-32) while the Pioneers made 73.1 percent of its chances (19-26).
 
Muhammad came off the bench for the second straight game and scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. He finished 6-of-13 from the field (7-12 FT) with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists in 32 minutes. Albright netted 11 of his 17 points in the second stanza, shooting 6-of-9 overall (5-8 FT) with two steals and two assists in 34 minutes.
 
Roberson (3-5 FG) and junior center EDDIE BROWN (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) (3-6 FG) each tallied seven points while combining for nine rebounds.
 
WP was led by the top two scorers in the NJAC, Sandy Burgos and Javae King-Gilchrist, who entered the game averaging 24.0 and 19.8 points, respectively. King-Gilchrist led the way with 22 points (7-13 FG), highlighted by 8-of-10 foul shooting, six steals and five rebounds before fouling out with three minutes remaining. Burgos had an off shooting effort overall (6-15), but not from three-point territory where he made 3-of-7 while sinking all four foul shots. He finished with 19 points.
 
Also for WP, Jaques Conceicao tallied a game-high 11 rebounds (eight defensive). Mensah tallied nine points (3-6 FG) and four steals. Nick Smith collected seven points, shooting 3-for-3.
 
In a tightly-played first half, WP twice inched ahead by seven, including 23-16 before NJCU scored the next seven to even it at 23-23. King-Gilchrist gave WP a 26-23 lead before another 7-0 spurt by NJCU, capped by an EDDIE BROWN layup with 1:38 left, gave the Knights a four-point, 30-26 edge. NJCU took a 30-28 margin to the break.
 
The clubs faced another tie at 34-34 and the game remained close before NJCU was held without a field goal for a span of 6:19—from the 15:02 mark until a layup by senior forward KHALID CRAWFORD-MUHAMMAD (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) made it a 53-47 game. During the drought, WP worked itself ahead by as many as 12 points, 53-41, on a Nick Smith three with 10:25 to play, but free throws by Muhammad and Albright kept NJCU within eight.
 
Burgos sank a three with 6:31 left that elevated the lead back to 11 (60-49) before NJCU uncorked an 8-0 streak, with a three by junior guard JUSTIN HARTE (Irvington, NJ/Irvington), three points by EDDIE BROWN, and  Muhammad's offensive carom and putback of a missed free throw that cut the deficit to 60-57 at 5:06.
 
But Burgos scored the next seven points—a steal and fast break layup, two foul shots, and a dagger three with 3:29 to go that pushed the lead to 10, 67-57 before King-Gilchrist sank two foul shots with 2:26 remaining that made the lead a dozen—69-57. Those final points proved to be significant as NJCU's late rally was initiated shortly thereafter but fell just short.
 
NJCU is back on the court on Wednesday, January 15 at 8 p.m. when it hosts Rutgers University-Camden in NJAC action at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.