Gothic Knight Insights: Interview with Marc Brown and Neville Joseph

EWING, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University senior small forward Neville Joseph (Newark, NJ/West Side) was sick and sidelined for much of the week, but one could never tell based on his performance in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Quarterfinals. Joseph scored 15 points in the first half including eight when NJCU unleashed a 16-0 run over a span of nearly eight minutes midway through the first half as the Gothic Knights roared into the NJAC Semifinals with a 74-60 win over The College of New Jersey on February 21 at Packer Hall.
 
NJCU, the No. 6 seed in the six-team field, evens its record at 13-13, wins for the 10th time in 13 games and advances to the NJAC semifinals for the first time since winning a record 12th conference title during the 2010-11 campaign. TCNJ, the No. 3 seed, has its winningest season in nine years end at 15-11.
 
The Gothic Knights advance to face No. 2 seeded William Paterson University (19-6) in the semifinals on Tuesday, February 24 at 7 p.m. The winner of that game meets the winner of No. 1 Stockton University and either No. 4 Rutgers-Newark or No. 5 Rowan University in the league championship game on Friday, February 27.
 
Joseph led four NJCU players in double figures for the Knights as he scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in the first half and posted his sixth double-double of the season. In perhaps his best all-around game, he finished with 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals, shooting 7-of-15 overall (2-5 3FG) and 7-of-8 from the line. Joseph shot 5-of-9 in the first half. It was his third 20+ point effort.
 Senior center Eddie Brown (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) was dominant inside as he registered his second career double-double finishing with 13 rebounds (eight defensive), 11 points (3-8 FG) and four blocks.
 
Senior point guard Jourdan Roberson (Brooklyn, NY/University (Newark)) netted 15 points with excellent accuracy from all spots on the floor; he was 4-of-8 from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point distance and 4-of-4 from the stripe while dishing three assists, Junior shooting guard Khalid Muhammad (Orange, NJ/Orange) scored 11 points (4-9 FG) and grabbed seven rebounds to increase his career scoring mark to 1,035.
 
For the Lions, senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) led TCNJ with 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in his final game. Johnson reached the 1,000-point milestone with a three-point field goal with 51 seconds remaining on the final shot of his career, finishing with exactly 1,000 points in three seasons.
 
D3hoops.com preseason fourth-time All-America junior forward Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds (14 defensive). Sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) hit four three-point field goals on five attempts to finish with 17 points. Freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) tallied 13 points (5-9 FG).
 
Up by one (14-13) with 14:33 to play in the first half, NJCU unleashed a 16-0 run and held the Lions scoreless for a span of 7:55 to seize a commanding 30-13 advantage. NJCU shot 51.9 percent in the first half (14-27), led by Joseph with 15 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3FG), Cole (seven points, 2-5 FG) and six points (3-4 FG) and four blocks by Brown..
 

A three-point play by Muhammad on a pull-up jumper in the lane started the outburst, junior forward Bilal Abdul-Raheem (Piscataway, NJ/Fork Union (VA)) hit a long jumper and Joseph drilled back-to-back three-pointers in a span of 27 seconds to give the Knights a 25-13 lead at 10:11. NJCU's press defense proved to be smothering, forcing turnovers that resulted in a 17-8 margin in points off giveaways in the first half and 25-14 for the game. When Brown knocked down a long jumper off a feed from Joseph, the lead was 14 and a steal by Joseph led to his fast-break basket and three-point play to elevate the lead to 17 (30-13) before the Lions finally scored again with 6:38 remaining.
 
TCNJ scored the next nine points, including a three-pointer and fast break by Klacik to draw within eight before the Knights went to the break up by 11 (37-26).
 
In the second half, Roberson buried a three with 14:45 to go as NJCU expanded its lead to 14 (44-30) and still led by a dozen (46-34) when senior forward Drew Marley (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) converted inside.
 
TCNJ, which rallied from a 19-0 deficit to defeat NJCU in the first meeting this season between the clubs in Ewing, had plans on another comeback, and when Klacik hit an NBA range three and a pull-up jumper in the lane with 8:46 to go, an 8-0 run saw the lead trimmed to four (46-42). The lead was five (49-44) with 7:53 remaining.
 
But NJCU, which led wire-to-wire, regained the lead from there, scoring the next six points and used a 9-2 run to boost the lead back to 12. Roberson, who earlier hit a three after Joseph grabbed an offensive rebound of two missed NJCU foul shots, hit another big triple with 4:23 to go and the shot clock expiring, for a 58-46 advantage, moments after Joseph penetrated and spun a layup off the glass.
 
The Lions did not get closer than eight the rest of the game and up 59-51 with 3:21 left, the Knights hit six foul shots and Muhammad had a key putback of a missed Gothic Knights jumper with 2:17 to play as a 9-0 streak made the final outcome academic. NJCU led by as many as 18 points in the final minute.

OF NOTE:

• 135th meeting during the NJAC conference era. Since 1955-56, NJCU leads the series, 73-42. NJCU has won seven of the last nine meetings.
• NJCU improves to 20-20 all-time in the NJAC Tournament and 4-11 in NJAC road games.
• NJCU is appearing in the NJAC Tournament for the third straight season and 28th time since 1977-78.
• NJCU is 5-2 all-time against the Lions in the conference tournament and 2-1 in Ewing. It was the first meeting between the schools in the NJAC Tournament since a 77-69 win for then-Jersey City State over then-Trenton State College in Ewing on February 22, 1995.
• Head coach Marc Brown equaled Hall-of-Fame coach Paul Weinstein for fourth place on the men's basketball career wins list with 115.
• Neville Joseph scored in double figures for the 21st time in 24 games in his only season at NJCU.
• Neville Joseph had his sixth effort of double digit rebounds.
• Khalid Muhammad now has 1035 career points. Muhammad reached double figures in scoring for the 59th time in 81 career games and 16th time this season.
• Muhammad passed Hall-of-Famer Ben O'Neill, who scored 1,024 points from 1961-65, for 25th place in school history. Next up: Don Brandes (1955-59) with 1,047 points.
• Eddie Brown reached double figures in scoring for the eighth time.
• Jourdan Roberson reached double figures in scoring for the 19th time in two seasons at NJCU and seventh time in 2014-15.
• NJCU was without starting senior shooting guard Jamall McDaniel (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln).
• NJCU has had a player score at least 20 points seven times this season.
• NJCU won 2-of-3 from TCNJ in 2014-15. On January 10, TCNJ won on Ewing, 61-59; NJCU returned the favor, 63-58 on February 7 in Jersey City.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
NJCU and William Paterson resume a long rivalry and history of NJAC Tournament showdowns on February 24. It will be the 10th meeting between the schools in the conference tournament. The Pioneers lead the NJAC Tournament series, 7-2 and are 3-0 against the Gothic Knights in Wayne. It will be the first meeting between the schools in the NJACs since NJCU defeated WP, 85-72 in Jersey City on February 26, 2004, en route to an NJAC crown that season.

Overall, it will be the 145th known meeting. NJCU leads the all-time series, 76-68, but WP swept the season series, winning in Wayne on December 3, 65-52. On February 9, the then No. 22 Pioneers prevailed, 62-59. WP did not have a good final week of the regular season, losing its final three games.