GRANTHAM, PA (NJCUGothicKnights.com) |  Four Gothic Knights reached double figures and the New Jersey City University men's basketball program continued to shoot well from the foul line as NJCU took third place in the challenging Townes Place Suites Tip-Off Tournament, with a 74-66 win over host Messiah College on November 21.
 
NJCU (1-2) won its first game, shooting 23-of-30 from the line (76.7 percent) while forcing Messiah (2-2) into 28 turnovers. Lancaster Bible upset No. 19 Franklin & Marshall, 94-66, in the tournament championship game.
 
Junior shooting guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, MD/Gwynn Park (Md.)) was named to the All-Tournament Team for NJCU after scoring 39 points in two games. He had 13 points in 38 minutes (7-8 FT) in the win.
 
Freshman small forward James Julius (Linden, NJ/Linden) poured in a game-high and career-best 17 points, knocking down 4-of-7 from three-point distance and 5-of-6 from the line in 25 minutes off the bench.
 
NJCU senior power forward Chinwe Wosu (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter) continued to produce, collecting 10 points (5-10 FG), nine rebounds (six offensive), four assists, three steals and two blocks. He is now 20-of-27 from the field (.741) in his first three games.
 
Junior point guard Ata Robinson (Newark, NJ/East Side) finished with 12 points (6-6 FT) while freshman forward Yuri Brutus (Roselle Park, NJ/Roselle Park) scored eight points for the third straight outing.
 
Luke Cable, Messiah's All-Tournament Team recipient, scored 15 points on 3-of-7 three-point shooting to lead the host Falcons and added four assists. Jonah Meredith (6-9 FG, 2-4 3FG) had 14 points, three assists and two blocks while Neil Murren scored 14 (3-7 FG, 2-5 3FG, 6-7 FT). Messiah outshot NJCU, hitting 44.0 percent from the field (22-50).
 
NJCU led for 31:33 of the game. After the fourth tie of the first half (15-15), NJCU reeled off a 11-2 run, led by Julius who buried back-to-back-to-back threes in a span of 90 seconds at 7:00 (20-15), 6:15 (23-17) and 5:30 as the Knights opened up a 26-17 advantage. Julius scored 11 of his 17 in the first half and his foul shots with 31 seconds left sent NJCU to the break ahead 31-25.
 
Baskets by Harris and Wosu helped the Knights push the lead to a dozen (39-27) and NJCU controlled the second half, leading by as many as 15. Still ahead by 11 (62-51) with 1:19 remaining, the Knights sealed it from the line, converting a perfect 12-for-12 in the final minute; Harris and Robinson each sank 6-of-6 from the stripe to negate Messiah's late comeback bid.
 
#KnightNotes:

• NJCU leads all-time series, 2-0. First meeting since November 19, 2011 (72-66 win at Messiah).
• Khalid Muhammad, returning from injury, scored two points in 11 minutes (one shot attempt). He has 1,056 career points.
• Ninth year head coach Marc Brown (116 wins) passes Hall-of-Famer Paul Weinstein (115 wins, 1976-82) for sole possession of fourth place in wins in program history. Hall-of-Famer Ollie Gelston (126 wins, 1959-67) is next on the list.

 
What's Next?:
In its final game before the Thanksgiving break, NJCU will open New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, November 24 (8 pm) against Rutgers University-Newark at the Golden Dome in Newark. NJCU leads the all-time series, 60-17. Follow live stats at: http://sidearmstats.com/rutgers/mbball/.