WAYNE, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | William Paterson University led by seven with 4:18 to play and clung to an 81-80 edge with 49 seconds left. But the New Jersey Athletic Conference-leading New Jersey City University men's basketball team would not be denied. Junior shooting guard Jalen Harris (Brandywine, MD/Gwynn Park (Md.)) hit a go-ahead second-chance jumper with 32 seconds left for two of his game-high 22 points and after the Pioneers missed a pair of potential tying foul shots, freshman small forward James Frazier (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) iced it with a two foul shots for his 19th and 20th points as NJCU wrapped up a season sweep of William Paterson, 85-81, on January 27 at the Rec Center.
 
The first-place Gothic Knights (10-6, 9-2 NJAC) claimed their first season sweep of the Pioneers (9-9, 4-7 NJAC) since the 2010-11 season—the same year the program won its last conference championship.
 
Harris and Frazier each scored 14 points in the second half after NJCU and WP were tied at 35-35 at the break. There were 13 lead changes and eight ties in the contest.
 
Harris netted his fifth 20-point performance of the season, scoring a game-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and made three three-pointers (3-5) and 5-of-7 from the line in 28 minutes. He added five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 
Meanwhile Frazier, a two-time NJAC Rookie of the Week since joining the team on December 22, bounced back after not scoring in his last game by dropping 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 three-point accuracy and 7-of-8 free throw success with eight rebounds in 24 minutes.

Junior point guard Ata Robinson (Newark, NJ/East Side) added 14 points for the second straight outing (4-10 FG) and was 5-of-5 from the line with four assists and freshman center Yuri Brutus (Roselle Park, NJ/Roselle Park) shot 5-of-7 from the field with 10 points.
 
WP guard Zach Frick was hot from three-point distance, finishing 5-of-9 from deep (6-of-11 from the field, 4-4 at the line) to lead the Pioneers with 21 points in 37 minutes. Senior guard Terik Bridgeman was 5-of-8 from the field and amassed a double-double of 16 rebounds (12 defensive) and 15 points with three blocks.
 
All five Pioneer starters scored in double figures but NJCU's reserves outscored the WP bench, 24-4.
 
Reigning NJAC Defensive Player of the Year and NJAC Player of the Week Bright Mensah contributed 17 points (5-13 FG) and five assists. Richy Espinal had 11 points (3-6 FG, 5-6 FT), five assists, five rebounds and three steals and Manny Hernandez chipped in 13 points and three steals.
 
The clubs combined to connect on 19 three-point shots. NJCU was 10-of-24 from three-point range (.417). The Pioneers shot 51.9 percent overall in the second half (14-27) and 50 percent from three-point distance (6-12).

 
Key Moments:

• In a second half in which 11 three-pointers fell between the two sides, the teams, tied 35-35 at halftime, were later even at 47-47 and 50-50 before the Pioneers used a 12-2 run to open its largest lead, 61-52, with 11:26 to play. Frick had five during that span and Hernandez hit a three that pushed the lead to three possessions (59-52).
• NJCU was twice able to bring the deficit within three, including a triple by senior swingman Khalid Muhammad (Orange, NJ/Orange) with 6:10 remaining (70-67) before Frick hit a three with 5:46 to go and Mensah sank two foul shots to make it 76-69 with 4:18 left.
• A Robinson layup (4:00) and two Harris foul shots (3:08) trimmed the deficit to three (76-73) and Harris continued his late-game heroics, drilling a three with 2:50 to go to tie it at 76-76. Two foul shots by Robinson gave NJCU its first lead (2:25, 78-77) since the early stages of the period.
• Hernandez (1:52, 79-78 WP) and Brutus (1:43, 80-79 NJCU) traded layups. Hernandez put WP back on top with 49 seconds left when his steal led to a fast break layup and an 81-80 edge.
• With 34 seconds to go, Brutus missed inside but Harris was there for the offensive rebound and hit a jumper in the lane to put NJCU back on top, 82-81, with 32 seconds left.
• Mensah turned the ball over six seconds later and with 16 seconds to go freshman small forward James Julius (Linden, NJ/Linden) made the front end of a two-shot penalty (83-81).
• William Paterson had a chance to tie with eight seconds to go after a foul but Mensah missed both free throws, Frazier grabbed the rebound, was fouled and sank both foul shots he awarded as NJCU iced it.
• In the first half, NJCU used a 10-0 run to gain an early 10-2 lead as Frazier sank three foul shots and Harris buried a three.
• WP would claw back and eventually took the lead at 18-17 on a dunk by Bridgeman. Tied at 26-26 with 3:56 to go in the half, Frick and Bridgeman converted foul shots and Frick hit a three for a 35-28 advantage with 1:34 on the clock before freshman guard Tyler Caldwell (Jersey City, NJ/Henry Snyder) connected on a three and Robinson turned a steal into a fast break bucket. Brutus tied the game with 22 seconds left in the half.

 
#KnightNotes:

• 147th known meeting. NJCU leads the all-time series, 78-69.
• NJCU had two 20-point scorers in the same game for the first time since December 5 when Jalen Harris (27) and senior power forward Chinwe Wosu (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter) (22) each accomplished the feat.
• NJCU recorded season sweeps of Rutgers-Newark and William Paterson in the same season for the first time since the 1994-95 campaign.
• Ninth-year head coach Marc Brown won his 126th career game (126-104). He equaled Hall-of-Fame coach Ollie Gelston, who won 126 games from 1959-67, and coached his father (Charlie Brown), for third place in school history.
• With six points, Khalid Muhammad now has 1,133 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 14th time in 17 games as a Gothic Knight.
• Ata Robinson reached double figures for the fifth time as an NJCU player and the second straight game.
• James Frazier reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time in eight games at NJCU.
• Yuri Brutus reached double figures in scoring for the eighth time in 17 games.

 
What's Next?:
In a rematch of another comeback-win, NJCU will host Rowan University (8-11, 5-7 NJAC, Won 2) on Saturday, January 30 at 4 p.m. at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court). It will be the 118th known meeting in a series Rowan slightly leads, 59-58. In the first meeting on December 5, NJCU won, 87-85, in Glassboro. Jalen Harris scored a career-high 27 points including two free throws with 1.3 seconds left to break the 10th tie of the game and help the Gothic Knights overcome a 13-point second half deficit. Chinwe Wosu had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Follow live stats (http://sidearmstats.com/njcu/mbball/) or live video (https://www.youtube.com/user/NJCUGothicKnights/live).