ANNVILLE, Pa. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball bounced back on Saturday, Nov. 13, and defeated Delaware Valley University in the consolation game of the Rinso Marquette Tournament, hosted by Lebanon Valley College this week. The Gothic Knights topped the Aggies, 70-60, and junior forward Jacob Valeus (Pleasantville, N.J./Pleasantville) represented Jersey City on the All-Tournament team.

NJCU (1-1) and Delaware Valley (0-2) started off very evenly until the Aggies used a 9-1 run with a trio of threes to take a six-point, 17-11 lead with 7:19 left in the first half. The Gothic Knights eventually re-took the lead and then the squads traded back and forth before DelVal managed to hold a two-point, 26-24 advantage at the half. Senior co-captain point guard Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) led all scorers with 11 points in the first, including going 5-of-7 from the foul line.

The second half continued to see the Aggies maintain a slight edge as they led NJCU 44-40 with 13:52 remaining. However, a 13-2 run for the Green and Gold put them up by seven and they held a commanding 53-46 lead with 8:15 left — junior forward Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) turned it on during this portion, scoring six of his 10 points over that stretch. Delaware Valley chipped away and got close at times, however a late 13-4 run saw Jersey City take a game-high 13-point lead at 70-57 with just 1:48 remaining.

Overall, Gilbert, Battle and Savoy all tallied 10 points apiece in the second half as the Gothic Knights eventually topped the Aggies by 10, with a final score of 70-60.

Highlights:
- Battle finished with a game-high 21 points in just 20 minutes on the floor, going 6-of-8 shooting — including 2-of-3 from three — and 7-of-9 from the foul line.
- Gilbert ended with 12 points of 6-of-8 from the floor and five boards.
- Senior forward Yvens Monfleury (Newark, N.J./American History) saw a game-high 37 minutes for NJCU and chipped in 11 points, eight boards, two steals and a block.
- Savoy added a game-best 14 boards to his 10 points, also blocking a shot.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights take a few days break before opening up home play for the 2022-23 regular-season. They welcome Hudson County rival Stevens Institute of Technology — the Ducks are receiving votes in the preseason D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll — on Wednesday evening, Nov. 16. Tipoff at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) and Coach Charlie Brown Court is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Jersey City edged Stevens, 62-60, in last year's meeting in Hoboken, N.J., on Nov. 17, 2021, as four players — including Battle, Savoy and senior co-captain forward Kayton Darley (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) — scored in double-figures.