By: Contact: Ira Thor | @irapthor (201/200-3301) or Jim Turvey
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | There are currently five teams tied for second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference men's basketball standings as teams head into the new year. Two of those teams,
New Jersey City University (9-4, 4-2 NJAC) and
Stockton University (6-7, 4-2 NJAC), will meet on Saturday, January 5 on the Coach Charlie Brown Court at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center at 3:00 p.m. It will be NJCU's first home game since December 8.
Â
COVERAGE:
Â
ADMISSION:
- General Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children/seniors.
Â
QUICK HITS:
- Both teams are coming off losses to ranked opponents, as NJCU held a lead late before a furious comeback from Wooster led to an 81-75 final in favor of the No. 14 team in the country. Meanwhile, Stockton fell by eight at home to No. 23 Swarthmore College.
- The Ospreys have dropped four straight, all out of conference, and have not played an NJAC game since December 14 when they topped Kean 76-72. Kean is one of four common opponents these two sides have played this season, with the Knights going a combined 4-0 against those sides, while Stockton has gone 3-1 (losing to Farmingdale State College by 15, while NJCU defeated the Rams by eight).
- Stockton has quite the balanced attack, with four different players averaging double figures on the season, and six players averaging at least eight points per game. Their leading scorer is Jordan Taylor (East Orange, NJ), a 6-6 junior forward averaging 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
- The talisman for the Knights is junior forward Sam Toney (Plainfield, NJ/Williamstown). The D3hoops.com Preseason First-Team All-American is averaging 16.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this year, leading the team in both categories. Sophomore guard Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/(East Orange Campus) has broken onto the scene this season bringing a scoring punch off the bench, averaging 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as the sixth man. He won NJAC Player of the Week award on November 26.
- Sam Toney (Plainfield, NJ/Williamstown) enters the day ranked 22nd in school history with 1,125 points. Next up: Omar Cooper with 1,150 points from 1994-96 and 1999-00.
- Freshman point guard Najuan Thomas-Cancel (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) was named this week's NJAC Rookie of the Week after a strong debut in his first two games for the Knights.
2018-19 NJCU Per Game Leaders
|
Points:
|
Sam Toney (Plainfield, NJ/Williamstown) (16.5)
|
Rebounds:
|
Toney (6.8)
|
Assists:
|
Shaquan Worthy (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Central) (3.7)
|
Minutes:
|
Toney (26.3)
|
3PT Made:
|
Toney (2.4)
|
Steals:
|
Worthy (2.2)
|
Blocks:
|
Toney (0.8)
|
FT Made:
|
Toney (3.8)
|
Â
SERIES:
- This will be the 85th meeting. NJCU leads all-time, 48-36.
Â
LAST MEETING:
- February 14, 2018 in Galloway, N.J. The Ospreys upset the Knights in the season finale of the 2017-18 season by a score of 87-66. The Knights had previously won 81-67 when the two sides met in Jersey City earlier in the year.
Â
GOTHIC KNIGHTS on SOCIAL MEDIA:
For the latest on NJCU men's basketball and #NJCUMBB, follow the Gothic Knights on social media on
Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram,
YouTube and
SnapChat. Preferred hashtags are GothicGameDay and GothicFamily.
—www.NJCUGothicKnights.com | @NJCUAthletics—