WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball team, ranked #24 in the preseason d3hoops.com poll, opened up its 2021-22 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 6, in the first round of the USJ Tip-Off Tournament. NJCU got off to a slow start against Alvernia University in the first half and, despite a late-second half comeback, was unable to get by the Golden Wolves and suffered the 70-60 defeat.

The Gothic Knights (0-1) were held to 24.3 percent shooting in the first half by Alvernia (1-0) and fell behind 38-24 after 20 minutes of play. The Golden Wolves stretched that lead out to 18 points at 48-30 with 12:21 remaining in the game. At that point, NJCU kicked it up a notch and started cutting into the lead thanks to a 14-2 run.

Sophomore Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood), who had a standout performance for the Gothic Knights on the day, started it off with a lay-in at 12:16, followed by a transition bucket from junior Derryen Whyte (Irvington, N.J./Union) at 12:07. Senior Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) had a fastbreak layup of his own at 10:25 to make it 48-36.

After a quick Alvernia bucket, Savoy made another basket in the paint to bring it back to a 12-point deficit. Then, on the other end of the court, Savoy swatted away a Golden Wolves shot, which led to a three-pointer in transition from sophomore Hakeem Wilson (Newark, N.J./North Star Academy) to make it a nine-point game at 8:59. Soon after, Battle made a nice layup and was fouled. He made the free throw at 8:21 to complete the three-point-play to make it a six-point game at 50-44.

NJCU eventually trimmed it down to a two-point game. Wilson knocked in a pair of free throws at 7:02. Savoy made a bucket at 6:28 to make it 53-45, followed shortly by two made foul shots from junior Kayton Darley (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) to make it 53-50 at 5:55. After a jumper for Alvernia at 5:43, Darley drilled a three to make it 55-53 with 5:19 left to play.

Unfortunately the Gothic Knights were unable to get closer and the Golden Wolves eventually stretch their lead out to a 10-point advantage and the 70-60 win.

Highlights:
- Savoy, the 2020-21 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Rookie of the Year, did not make a start over last year's eight games. He made his first-career start on Saturday and made the most of it. Savoy led NJCU with 17 points and a game-best 11 rebounds for his third-career double-double. He also notched a career- and game-high six blocked shots.
- Senior Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/East Orange Campus) and Darley each chipped in 10 points. Banks had six boards and three steals, while Darley had seven boards and a block.
- Battle tied the game high with four assists and also had seven points and a pair of steals.
- The Gothic Knights held Alvernia to 26.7 percent from the floor in the second half, while shooting almost 40.0 percent themselves.

Up Next:
NJCU looks to capture its first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 7, in the USJ Tip-Off Tournament consolation game at 1:00 p.m. The Gothic Knights will face off with the University of Maine at Augusta.