JERSEY CITY, N.J. — In as dominant a victory as seen at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) in years, the New Jersey City University men's basketball squad opened its long-awaited 2020-21 campaign on the highest of notes. The Gothic Knights welcomed New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Kean University to Charlie Brown Court on Friday night, Feb. 5, and promptly defeated the Cougars 99-64, narrowly missing the century mark for what would have been their first 100-plus-point game since they accomplished the feat twice in the 2018-19 season.

NJCU (1-0, 1-0 NJAC) burst out of the gate on a 9-0 run to with just over four minutes gone in the first half and never looked back. Overall, all 15 players on the roster saw a minimum of five minutes on the court throughout the evening during the Gothic Knights' 35-point win over Kean (0-1, 0-1 NJAC).

As a team, NJCU played tremendous defense and coupled that performance with an efficient night from the floor. The Gothic Knights held the Cougars to just 28.6 percent shooting (16-for-56), including an astounding 4-of-30 performance in the first half. In contrast, NJCU was 51.4 percent from the floor (37-of-72).

Building on their momentum to start the contest, the Gothic Knights eventually stretched out their lead to 34 points in the first and took a 32-point advantage into the break at 52-20. That lead ended up growing to a game-high 41 points with 9:10 remaining in the second half en route to the big home- and season-opening win.

Individually, seven Knights reached double-figures scoring, led by junior guard Keshon Smith (Queens, N.Y./Martin Van Buren). A transfer from Camden County Community College, Smith earned the start in his NJCU debut and led his squad with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-12 from the floor, as well as 3-of-3 from the line. He also chipped in five boards and a pair of assists.

Co-captain senior forward Jahmere Calhoun (Manchester, NJ/Brick Memorial), rookie post man Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) and senior guard Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/East Orange Campus) — the team's leading returning scorer — all finished with 12 points. All three were extremely efficient with their shooting performances, going 6-of-8, 4-of-5 and 6-of-9 from the floor, respectively.

Sophomore center Michael Clement (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) was dominant on the defensive end for NJCU, leading all players with eight rebounds — including a game-high seven defensive boards — and two blocks to go with a steal. Banks also led the Gothic Knights with four steals.

Highlights:

• Sophomore guard Derryen Whyte (Irvington, N.J./Union) finished with 10 points and two steals in the start.
• Freshman guard Hakeem Wilson (Newark, N.J./North Star Academy) saw 20 minutes off the bench and also notched 10 points. He added three boards, two assists and a steal.
• Junior guard Kayton Darley (West New York, N.J./North Bergen) chipped in 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out a trio of helpers.
• NJCU capitalized on Kean's miscues all night and finished with 35 points off turnovers, including 29 on the break.
• The Gothic Knights also dominated in the paint and outscored the Cougars 50-24 down low.

NJCU now holds a 22-6 lead in the all-time series against Kean, and will return to action tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, Feb. 6, at 1:00 p.m. on the road in Union, N.J., against those very same Cougars as the Gothic Knights look to make it 23-6. As with all games this season, there will be no fans allowed, but be sure to tune in live at KeanAthletics.com/watch.