MONTCLAIR, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Montclair State University and New Jersey City University were tied for the 11th time in the game with 90 seconds left before MSU used a three-point play, three free throws and two defensive stops in the next 30 seconds and held off a near final moment rally from the first place Gothic Knight men's basketball team in a 72-71 New Jersey Athletic Conference upset on January 16 at Panzer Gymnasium.
 
After starting the season at 7-2 and the NJAC schedule 6-0, NJCU (9-6, 7-2 NJAC), dropped its fourth game in six outings and a conference game on consecutive Saturdays. NJCU had its five-game winning streak snapped against Montclair, which improved to 7-8 (4-5 NJAC).
 
The loss dropped NJCU into a first place tie with Rutgers-Newark although the Knights did beat the Scarlet Raiders, their next opponent on January 20, in the first meeting this season.
 
NJCU, which led by seven with 9:50 remaining after trailing by a deuce at halftime, saw that lead dissipate over the next four minutes in what would become a see-saw finish. Montclair shot 52.0 percent in the second half (13-25).
 
Erick Loften-Harris scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half for MSU, shooting 5-of-11 overall and 6-for-8 from the line with seven assists. Also for Montclair, Shaun Russell scored 13 points and Brandon Channer added 11 points and six rebounds.
 
Three players scored in double figures for NJCU. Freshman center Yuri Brutus (Roselle Park, NJ/Roselle Park) led NJCU with 15 points in 30 reserve minutes, shooting 6-of-13.
 
Senior power forward Chinwe Wosu (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter), the NJAC's leader in rebounding and field goal percentage, scored 13 points (3-6 FG) and was 7-of-7 from the foul line with seven rebounds. Junior shooting guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, MD/Gwynn Park (Md.)) also netted 13 points.
 
Junior point guard Ata Robinson (Newark, NJ/East Side) had five assists and six points while freshman small forward James Frazier (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth), the two-time reigning NJAC and ECAC Metro Rookie of the Week, finished with eight points (2-4 3FG).
 
Key Moments:

• There were six first half ties. The largest home lead was four (17-13, 11:20) before NJCU gained a 27-23 margin 3:47). MSU held a 30-28 edge at the break.
• After a seventh tie at 36-36 (15:19), NJCU gained the lead on a three by Harris, pushed it to seven (49-42) after a pair of Wosu foul shots (11:23) and still led by seven (54-47) when junior guard Andrew Tomlin (Newark, NJ/Central), in his second game since joining the team on January 12, hit a foul shot after Robinson made two from the line following a technical foul on the Montclair bench.
• Montclair worked its way back into the game, tying it at 58-58 with 5:43 to go on a pair of foul shots by Russell before his steal and fast break basket gave MSU a 60-58 edge at the 5:21 mark—its first lead since the opening 90 seconds of the period.
• A jumper by Brutus tied it at 60-60 (4:33). NJCU would not hit another field goal until a Brutus layup tied the game at 63-63 with 1:57 to play. Loften-Harris, who scored the go-ahead basket at 62-60, hit two from the line with 1:46 left. Robinson tied it at 65-65 with 1:30 left before fouling out of the game and with 59 seconds lefts. Brian Crosby hit a layup and was fouled for a three-point play that gave the hosts a 68-65 margin.
• NJCU missed on its next trip down the floor and with 34.8 seconds left, Channer hit two foul shots to push the lead to five (70-65). A driving layup was no good for the Knights and Aaron Williams hit a foul shot with 20.3 to play (71-65).
• Harris tried to make a game of it, driving to the hoop with 13.2 left and drawing a foul, hitting a foul shot to make it 71-68.
• With 10.8 left, Channer missed the front end of two foul shots, but hit the second. Andrew Tomlin raced down the floor for NJCU and hit a straight-away three with 3.6 seconds left to cut the deficit to one (72-71).
• After an NJCU timeout, Loften-Harris was fouled with no time coming off the clock. The first free throw was short, the second off left side rim and NJCU grabbed the rebound with 3.0 seconds to go.
• A long inbounds pass up court was initially stolen by Williams, a top wide receiver on the MSU football team, but he coughed it up out of bounds giving NJCU life.
• Down one, the final inbounds pass went to Harris who initially slipped between the circles and was forced to heave up an NBA-range three that was off the mark.

#KnightNotes:

• 165th meeting. Montclair leads the all-time series, 92-73.
• Montclair won in the series for the first time since a 58-48 win in Montclair, NJ on December 12, 2012.
• With seven points, senior small forward Khalid Muhammad (Orange, NJ/Orange) now has 1,118 career points and is 21st in school history. Next up on the 1,000-point list: Omar Cooper in 20th place with 1,150 points in three seasons (1994-96, 99-00).

• Jalen Harris scored in double figures for the 12th time in 15 games as a Gothic Knight.
• Chinwe Wosu scored in double figures for the 11th time in 15 games this season.
• Yuri Brutus scored in double figures for the seventh time this season and in back-to-back games.

 
What's Next?:
In a rematch of a November 24 conference game won by NJCU on the road, 69-62, the Gothic Knights host Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday, January 20 at 8 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court) in a battle for sole possession of first place in the league. Rutgers-Newark (12-4, 7-2) has won four straight. In the first meeting on November 24, NJCU trailed by a dozen early in the second half before rallying behind the play of Ata Robinson who canned a game-tying three-pointer with 3:11 left and hit four foul shots in the final seconds to seal it. Robinson scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the second half and finished the contest a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw stripe. Chinwe Wosu shot 7-of-10 from the field for 16 points with six rebounds, four steals and two assists. It will be the 79th meeting between the schools. NJCU leads the all-time series, 61-17. Follow live stats (http://sidearmstats.com/njcu/mbball/) or live video (https://www.youtube.com/user/NJCUGothicKnights/live).