JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball team opened up home New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play for the 2022-23 season at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (NJAC) on Tuesday night, Nov. 22, against Montclair State University.

The Gothic Knights (3-2, 0-1 NJAC) and Red Hawks (4-0, 1-0 NJAC) were tight midway through the first half. NJCU held a three-point, 12-9 lead with 14:56 remaining following a 7-2 run, which included a three from junior forward Jacob Valeus (Pleasantville, N.J./Pleasantville) and jumpers from senior guard Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) and junior forward Avante Gilbert (Paterson, N.J./International). Montclair State took control from there and led by five at 21-16 before a couple of baskets for the Green and Gold made it a one-point, 21-20 lead for the Red Hawks.

Senior forward Kayton Darley (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) — he led the squad with a team-high 11 points on the night — laid one in with 7:58 to go in the half, followed by a coast-to-coast highlight reel dunk from junior forward Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) at 6:14. However, the Red Hawks went on a 10-0 run to take a 31-20 lead with 1:36 left until the break. A couple foul shots from Darley cut it back down nine-point game after 20 minutes of play.

Jersey City started off the second half with five of the first seven points on a three from Valeus and a lay-in from battle, making it a six-point, 33-27 game with 19:09 left on the clock. Then again, after a pair of free throws from Gilbert at 17:48, the Gothic Knights trailed 35-29. Following that, Battle sank another bucket to cut it to a four-point, 35-31 lead in favor of the Red Hawks and the Green and Gold looked to make it a game once more.

Unfortunately, a quick 8-0 run, stemmed by back-to-back threes for the road team, stretched the deficit back out to 12 points at 43-31 with 15:57 left. NJCU did cut it down to single digits a couple more times, however a 7-0 run made it a 15-point game with 9:47 left. Later, a 9-0 run made it a 23-point, 66-43 lead for Montclair State with 3:05 left and the visitors eventually came away with the 21-point victory.

Highlights:
- Freshman guard Bakhi Rogers-Robinson (Orange, N.J./West Caldwell Tech) finished with eight points and four rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
- Battle, Valeus and Gilbert all chipped in six points, while Gilbert led NJCU with seven boards.
- Senior forward Yvens Monfleury (Newark, N.J./American History) had a game-high three steals to go with four boards, two points and an assist.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights now take the week off before returning to NJAC play on Wednesday night, Nov. 30, in Wayne, N.J. NJCU faces off with William Paterson University for a scheduled-8:00 p.m. tipoff following the completion of the women's game.