New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score Game Notes/Program: Gothic Knight Insights feature, DREW MARLEY
Postgame Interview: WALIK ALBRIGHT, JAMALL MCDANIEL

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University senior small forward WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) inched closer to the 1,000 career point threshold, reaching the 20-point plateau for the third time this year and fourth time in his career as NJCU avenged an early-season loss to Rowan University with a convincing 65-56 victory over the Profs on January 25 in New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court). With the victory, NJCU reached double figures in victories for the 48^th consecutive season.
 
NJCU, poised to make another late-season push towards the post-season, moved into fifth place in the league with a 10-7 mark and 6-5 in the conference, by winning for the third time in four games and the fourth straight home game.
 
NJCU snapped a three-game losing streak to Rowan (8-10, 3-8 NJAC), which remained alive for the sixth and final NJAC Tournament berth by virtue of The College of New Jersey and Ramapo College, now sixth and seventh in the standings, both losing on Saturday.
 
NJCU shot 53.8 percent from three-point range for the game, knocking down 7-of-13 threes. Meanwhile, after making just 2-of-10 and 5-of-16 free throws to open the game, NJCU converted 13 of its final 16 foul shots (.813).
 
The Gothic Knights size and athleticism was evident in swatting a season-high 11 blocks and NJCU has now knocked away 19 blocks in its last two games.
 
Albright, who entered the game needing 28 points to record his 1,000^th point on his home court, sits at 992 for his career and will have a chance to become the first player in six years to join the 1,000-point club at Rutgers-Newark. In the win, he poured in a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 6-of-9 foul shots, while adding seven rebounds and two blocks.
 
Mid-year addition and junior shooting guard JAMALL MCDANIEL (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) continues to come up big, scoring in double figures for the third consecutive game in just his fourth outing in green and gold. He connected on all four three-point chances (4-4) and made 5-of-7 field goals and both foul shots to finish with 16 points in 30 minutes.
 
Junior point guard JOURDAN ROBERSON (Brooklyn, NY/University (Newark)) netted double figures for the eighth time this season, finishing with 15 points (3-7 FG), highlighted by three three-pointers (3-5) and 6-of-7 foul shooting, while adding six defensive rebounds and four assists. Sophomore power forward FARAJI JAMES (Irvington, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) produced seven rebounds and four blocks.
 
"I think we're starting to put it together," said Albright, the senior captain, about NJCU's better play in the second half of the season. "We're finishing games, we're more active and showing more energy."
 
"I think the big difference today is we didn't have to take that two-hour ride," Albright noted about what was different in the second meeting of the year with Rowan. "The long ride really affected us. When you play the South [Jersey] schools, you take the long ride, then you get off the bus, watch the [women's] game and THEN play. It's always hard to beat Rowan. They come out and fight. They play together and play with so much energy."
 
The Profs shot under 35 percent in each period and 32.2 percent overall (19-59), with just 4-of-15 accuracy from long distance (.267). Senior guard Phil Jackson (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) had 11 points (3-11 FG) and five rebounds in 25 reserve minutes before fouling out. Senior guard Tim McDaniels (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) also scored 11 (3-10 FG), 5-6 FT) with six rebounds, but committed six of Rowan's 13 turnovers. Senior guard Rich McNamara (Southampton, NJ/Seneca) had a near double-double, collecting a game-high 11 rebounds (nine defensive) and nine points (4-13 FG).
 
NJCU largely held all-conference senior point guard Jason Rosenberg (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) in check. He scored nine points (3-7 FG), but the NJAC's leader in assists at 7.1 per game—ninth in Division III—was limited to four helpers in 39 minutes. Rowan had an assist on just seven of 19 made baskets, entering the game as the top assist club at 14.5 per game.
 
Meanwhile, senior forward Jason Sofman (West Milford, NJ/West Milford), who entered the game leading the NJAC in field goal percentage at 64.7 percent on the year, shot 1-of-5 in the loss. He did grab eight rebounds.
 
NJCU scored eight of the first 10 points of the game and never looked back. Albright scored six of NJCU's first 12 points with triples by McDaniel and Roberson contributing to a 12-6 lead and another triple by Roberson made it 15-7 at 12:35. An Albright jumper midway through the period pushed the lead to 10 (19-9)—a margin equaled when McDaniel drilled a three with 6:51 left in the period.
 
"It's been tough learning the system because I've come from so many different coaching staffs, but as far as being here in Jersey City, it's been a home feeling," said McDaniel on the transition to the NJCU lineup, finding a home with the Gothic Knights after being out of the game for a year. "The only tough part has been learning the defense because switching goes on and I've never really had to do that. The team has been good to me since day one. They've treated me like family as soon as I stepped on the floor with them in practice."
 
NJCU led 26-16 with 5:12 left in the period and didn't score another field goal in the half after the three by McDaniel, yet its defense held onto a five-point lead (26-21) at the intermission.
 
In the second half, McDaniel and Albright each scored 10 points for NJCU, which shot 50 percent in the period (10-20) after making 32.3 percent of its first half chances (10-31). After Rowan drew within three in the first three minutes of the second half, an Albright offensive rebound and putback, a James tip-in in traffic and a triple by Roberson pushed the lead back to 10 (36-26) with 14:44 to play.
 
Rowan never came closer than five points the rest of the way, even after Roberson and McNamara and then McDaniel and Jackson traded threes to see the lead dwindle to 39-34. NJCU remained ahead 47-38 after a three-point play by Albright and gained another 10-point edge. A jumper by sophomore guard Kris O'Connor (Mount Laurel, NJ/Paul VI) shaved the differential to five (50-45) with 4:23 to play.
 
But Roberson (4:10), McDaniel (3:52) and Albright (2:58 and 2:23) combined to convert NJCU's next eight free throws. Two more from the line by Roberson with 1:02 left increased the margin to 62-54 and effectively clinched it.
 
NJCU, 61-52 home winners over Rutgers-Newark on November 26, will face a red-hot Scarlet Raiders squad on Wednesday, January 29 when it visits the Golden Dome at 8 p.m. R-N has won its last seven games and at 9-2 have surged into first place in the NJAC.