JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball team got back on track, Wednesday, Jan. 25, earning a crucial New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win over William Paterson University to remain tied for the #6-seed with Ramapo College. NJCU won the game over the Pioneers 69-67, earning the squads fourth conference win on the season. 



Jersey City (9-10, 4-8 NJAC) opened up to arguably its best start of the season as the Green and Gold carried a 13-0 run over William Paterson (9-10, 3-9 NJAC) in the first four minutes. Junior forward Avante Gilbert (Paterson, N.J./International) played a crucial role in the quick start as he netted six of his 12 points in the game during the run. The Pioneers answered back, however, mounting a 13-4 run with 10:18 left in the first half to make the score 17-13, but NJCU again came to life thanks to junior forward Ryan Savoy (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood), as he led the Gothic Knights on 7-0 run to put NJCU up 24-13 with 6:41 left.

Unfortunately, William Paterson found yet another flurry of offense and produced four field goals from beyond the arc in the closing five minutes of the half, which aided the teams first lead of the contest with 1:01 left in the half — they outscored NJCU 24-9. William Paterson ended the first half leading NJCU 37-33.

In the second half, the game picked up the intensity immensely as the Gothic Knights opened up the first two and half minutes with a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead 39-37 as Savoy again led the team on a run. This though became the beginning of an unpredictable second half, however, as the lead changed hands four times over the next four minutes. NJCU reclaimed the lead in the last of the lead changes, as the Gothic Knights led 45-43 with 14:02 left after senior forward Yvens Monfleury (Newark, N.J./American History) converted both free throws. Those makes also became the start of an eventual 8-0 run for the Gothic Knights as they lead 51-43 with just under 13 minutes left to play, granting the squad its biggest lead of the second half. 

Both teams continued to trade points from the field, but eventually the Pioneers again caught fire beyond the arc, as they put together a 14-4 run to take the lead back at 57-55 with 6:57 remaining. NJCU briefly took the lead back with 6:09 left after junior guard Will Brown III (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) converted a three from deep to make the score 58-57, but the Pioneers continued to capitalize on its momentum as they took the lead back right after and commanded a six-point, 64-58 lead with under four minutes to play. It was here though that the momentum turned back into NJCU's favor, as the defense held William Paterson to only two more points on the game. With the strong defense showing its hand, it allowed Brown to again heat up as he converted a three and two free throws to bring NJCU within one at 64-63 with 2:22 left. That started a 9-0 run as NJCU again claimed a three-point lead putting them up 67-64 with 1:08 left. After the Pioneers burned their final timeout with less than a minute left, it gave NJCU an opportunity to seal the game from the free throw line.

While the Pioneers did cut the deficit to two, the two free throws converted from Brown and senior guard Jason Battle (Jersey City, N.J./Roselle Catholic) proved to be critical, as NJCU's defense came clutch in the closing seconds to not allow William Paterson to get a shot off to potentially win the game at the buzzer. The Gothic Knights won by a final score of 69-67 over the Pioneers in one of the most electric games on the season.

Highlights:
- Brown scored a team-best 17 points, shooting an efficient 6-of-9 from the floor. All 17 came in the second half and was two off of his career high of 19, which came earlier this season when he was a member of the Ramapo program.
- Battle had an effective day defensively as he led the squad with four steals and eight rebounds, along with a team-high six assists.
- Brown, Savoy and Gilbert combined for 40 of the teams 69 points, as all three cracked double digits.
- Junior center Michael Clement (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) was also valuable for NJCU on the floor as in the 17 minutes he played, he tallied six points, two assists, four rebounds and a block.

Up Next:
The Green and Gold return home to the John J. Moore Fitness and Athletics Center (JMAC) on Saturday, Jan. 28, as they take on Kean University in continued NJAC action. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. after the conclusion of the women's game.