WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball squad rebounded in a big way today, Friday, Dec. 30, with a strong 17-point victory in the consolation game of the Eastern Holiday Invitational this afternoon. After falling to tournament host Eastern Connecticut State University in the opening round, the Gothic Knights dominated SUNY New Paltz, 77-60, behind a team-high 17-point performance from senior co-captain forward Kayton Darley (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen), as well as another all-around performance from Jersey City's All-Tournament selection, junior forward Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood).

NJCU (7-5) had a dominant 19 offensive rebounds — compared to just seven for the Hawks (7-4) — and turned that into 21 second-chance points, while New Paltz managed just seven. Additionally, the big men got it done down low for the Green and Gold, converting their opportunities under the basket into 36 points in the paint, compared to just 20 for the Hawks. Additionally, after an even first half in which New Paltz held a 38-37 lead at the conclusion of the first 20, the Gothic Knights dominated the Hawks, 40-22, in the second thanks in part to a 17-of-31 team shooting performance (54.8 percent) from the floor in the latter 20 minutes.

The first half of the first actually looked like the Gothic Knights were set to run away with the game early as NJCU jumped out to an eight-point, 25-17 lead with 10:19 to go until the break. However, a 9-1 run for the Hawks tied it up at 26-26 with 6:31 to go before they eventually managed a one-point lead at the half.

Half number two completely flipped the script as, after New Paltz sank a three in the opening moments, the Green and Gold flew out on an 18-0 run to grab hold of a 15-point, 55-40 lead with 13:39 remaining. Senior forward Yvens Monfleury (Newark, N.J./American History) started it off with a layup, followed by a jumper from junior forward Avante Gilbert (Paterson, N.J./International) — he finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Darley then drained a bucket underneath — he scored 11 of his 17 in the second half — before Gilbert scored two more. Darley then scored three points the old fashion way before senior co-captain guard Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) drained a three. Finally, Gilbert closed out the run with a jumper at 13:39 — 10 of his 14 came in the second, as well.

Looking to run away with the game, the Gothic Knights were stymied by the surging Hawks, who then went on a 12-0 run of their own to close the gap to just three at 55-52 with 11:10 to go. A quick 8-0 run brought momentum back to NJCU as the squad took an 11-point, 65-54 lead with 6:12 to go — Darley had four of those eight points. A 10-0 run that started a couple of minutes later put Jersey City up by a game-high 18 at 75-57 with 1:24 remaining in the game.

Highlights:
- Darley added seven boards, a game-high-tying three assists and a block in a game-high 33 minutes on the floor.
- Savoy led all players with nine boards and blocked a team-high two shots to go with his 14 points.
- Gilbert had three assists, as well, to go with a steal and five boards. Battle chipped in 12 points, three assists as well, three boards and a steal.
- Junior guard Will Brown (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) — a transfer from New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Ramapo College — tallied eight points, seven rebounds and a steal on 3-of-4 shooting in his NJCU debut. He played 20 minutes off the bench.
- Monfleury finished with eight boards, seven points, a steal and a block.

Up Next:
Jersey City takes a few days off to celebrate the New Year before returning to action on Wednesday evening, Jan. 4, in Glassboro, N.J. The Gothic Knights are scheduled to tip off NJAC action against Rowan University at 7:30 p.m.