Box Score GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Gothic Knight Insights, KHALID CRAWFORD-MUHAMMAD
JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) |
New Jersey City University struggled from the free throw line in the second half, making just 6-of-15 from the stripe (.400), and Kean University pushed a one-possession game with two minutes remaining to nine points in the final minute before holding off NJCU, 65-61, in New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball on February 1 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
NJCU (10-9, 6-7 NJAC) managed to rally in the final 30 seconds when senior small forward
WALIK ALBRIGHT (Jersey City, NJ/Create Charter) hit a straight-away three after significant Gothic Knight ball movement to obtain the right shot look before Kean senior
Ali Mix (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) made one of two from the line with 5.2 seconds to go.
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Team Stat Comparison
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NJCU
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KEAN
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Score
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61
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65
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Half Time Score
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28
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24
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Field Goal Percentage
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.379 (22-58)
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.364 (20-55)
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Three-Point Percentage
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.259 (7-27)
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.313 (5-16)
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Free Throw Percentage
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.435 (10-23)
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.667 (20-30)
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Rebounds (O-D-T)
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13-29-42
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11-25-36
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Assists
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14
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11
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Turnovers
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19
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17
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Blocks
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5
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3
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Steals
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8
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10
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Fouls
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21
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16
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Largest Lead
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6
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9
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Points in the Paint
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28
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22
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Points off Turnovers
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12
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23
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Second Change Points
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12
|
8
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Fast Break Points
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6
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4
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Bench Points
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16
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4
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After a timeout, Kean (11-8, 7-5 NJAC), with a foul to give, sent NJCU to the line before it could attempt a game-tying three. After senior
JAHMILL JENKINS (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) made the first, he was forced to intentionally miss the second and hope for a rebound, but senior center
Xavier Fuller (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) grabbed the board and iced the game from the line.
NJCU lost a season series to the Cougars for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The win gives Kean a solid grasp on the No. 4 seed in the NJAC Tournament with six regular season conference games remaining. NJCU is tied with Ramapo College at 6-7 in fifth place, with the Knights having swept the season series from Ramapo.
Kean was led by senior guard
Michael Burton (Irvington, NJ/South Plainfield) with 21 points (5-14 FG, 2-3 3FG), highlighted by flawless 9-for-9 foul shooting with three assists in 38 minutes.
Mix tallied 19 points (7-18 FG) and four steals in 36 minutes.
Fuller delivered 16 points (6-10 FG), eight rebounds and two blocks. Senior forward
Kyle Latorre (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ/Hasbrouck Heights) added nine rebounds and three steals.
Albright, the 27
th man to score 1,000 point in school history, upped his career scoring total to 1,024 points to equal Hall-of-Famer
Ben O'Neill (1961-65) for 24
th on the career scoring list. He finished with 14 points (5-9 FG) in 34 minutes but shot 3-of-10 from the line.
Junior point guard
JOURDAN ROBERSON (Brooklyn, NY/University (Newark)) finished with 13 points (4-10 FG), knocking down 4-of-7 three-point attempts, adding five board and three assists.
Jenkins had eight points, four assists and three steals but shot 1-of-9. Junior center
EDDIE BROWN (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) had eight points in 20 minutes before fouling out.
NJCU led 28-24 at halftime following an opening 20 minutes during which neither side could claim a lead larger than five.
In a game where both teams had similar field goal percentages, NJCU's struggles at the line were exasperated by attempting 27 three pointers and converting just seven. The 27 threes were one shy of a season high. Meanwhile, NJCU only committed two more turnovers than Kean—19-17—but the Cougars were able to translate NJCU's giveaways into a 23-12 margin in points off turnovers.
After Kean scored the first six points of the second half to gain a two-point lead in a contest that saw nine ties and nine more lead changes, a three by
Roberson, a layup by junior
DREW MARLEY (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) and an
Albright fast break off a
Jenkins steal worked the lead to 37-33. Later, when
Roberson hit a long, straight-away triple, NJCU had its largest lead of the game, 42-36, with 13:14 remaining.
An 8-0 Kean run put the Cougars back in front, with a layup by
Mix, a three by junior guard
J.J. Hladik (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) and a three-point play by
Burton making it a 44-42 edge at 10:21. A layup by
Brown off an offensive rebound and dish from rookie small forward
CHINWE WOSU (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter) put NJCU back in front, 45-44 (8:54) and a minute later
Wosu skied for the offensive rebound of a missed three and drive to the rim for two (47-44).
Sophomore guard
Tom Soulias (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) knocked down two from the line and followed with a three with 5:45 to go, after receiving a pass from
Mix that allowed him plenty of time to set and shoot from the left sideline for a Kean one-point lead (49-48).
NJCU, held without a field goal for a span of 4:16, was able to stay in the game thanks to its defense and when
Jenkins hit a three with 3:05 to play, the game was tied (51-51). A jumper by
Mix (2:44), two
Burton free throws (1:52) and a pair of free throws by the same two players pushed the lead to 59-51 with 1:11 to play after a technical on the NJCU bench. With 43 seconds to go,
Burton made two more foul shots to push the lead to nine (61-52). It was Kean's eighth straight made foul shot.
Roberson hit a three with 43 seconds left and
Jenkins hit two from the stripe with 24 to go to make it a four-point game (61-57).
Fuller made the back end of two shots for Kean to increase the margin to five (62-57), leading up to the final sequence.
Weather permitting, NJCU will face Valley Forge Christian College in non-conference action at home on Monday, February 3 at 7 p.m.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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NOTES:
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129th known meeting. NJCU leads all-time series, 93-36. NJCU has won 11 of the last 16 meetings.
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Kean won the first meeting in Union, 71-50, on January 4.
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WALIK ALBRIGHT upped his career scoring total to 1024 points. He is now tied for 24th on the 1,000-point charts with Hall-of-Famer Ben O'Neill (1961-65) with 1,024 points. Next on the list is Hall-of-Famer Don Brandes (1955-59) with 1,047 points.
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KHALID MUHAMMAD has 631 career points.
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NJCU MEN'S BASKETBALL 1000-POINT CLUB
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Thru 2/1/2014
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RANK
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PLAYER
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YEARS
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POINTS
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1.
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Brett Wyatt
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1975-79
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2292
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2.
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Del Harrison
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1986-90
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2011
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3.
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Johnny Mayers
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1983-87
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1912
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4.
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Steve Wilder
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1982-86
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1706
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5.
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Mark Washington
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2002-06
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1600
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6.
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Eric Moore
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1976-80
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1587
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7.
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Andy Kemp
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1976-80
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1513
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8.
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Samar Battle
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2000-04
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1507
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9.
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Fred Douglas
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1967-70
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1498
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10.
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Abdul Madison
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1993-97
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1457
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11.
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Charles Brown *
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1962-65
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1324
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12.
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Darren Watkins
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1988-92
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1318
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13.
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Jeff Harrington
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1997-01
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1302
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14.
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Dana John *
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2005-08
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1281
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15.
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Steve Schindler *
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1970-73
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1254
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16.
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John Celentano *
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1971-74
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1230
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17.
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Bob Johnson
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1968-71
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1178
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18.
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Omar Cooper *
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1994-96, 99-00
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1150
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19.
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Ed Petersen
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1962-66
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1148
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20.
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Danel Allen *
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1995-98
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1091
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21.
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Dwayne West
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1982-86
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1075
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22.
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George Thomas
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1999-03
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1069
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23.
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Don Brandes
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1955-59
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1047
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24t.
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Ben O'Neill
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1961-65
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1024
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24t.
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WALIK ALBRIGHT
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2009-12, 13-14
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1024
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26.
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Stan Chapman
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1977-81
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1009
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27.
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Dave Martin
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1977-81
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1004
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* denotes three-year career. All others are four-year players.
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