JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's basketball team returned home Wednesday night, Jan. 17 to host the Montclair State University Red Hawks in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play. NJCU looked to get revenge from their overtime thriller loss earlier this season, and held the lead early in tonight's game, but were ultimately unable to match the scoring of Montclair, falling 107-81.

NJCU (5-12, 2-8 NJAC) opened the game's scoring with a three by junior guard Jaheim Lewis (Hillside, N.J./Hillside), who was coming off an excellent performance at Stockton on Saturday. The Gothic Knights and Red Hawks (11-6, 6-4 NJAC) battled back and forth and even took a 4-point lead after junior forward Malachi Gayton (East Orange, N.J./St. Mary's of Assumption) converted both free throws during a trip to the line. Unfortunately, this would be the largest lead for the squad, as Montclair retook the lead at 13:15 and didn't look back. Senior guard Will Brown III (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic) had an efficient 12 first-half points, but at the intermission, NJCU found themselves trailing by 8 points.

In the second half, the lead broke open for Montclair. Lewis scored 8-straight points for NJCU, but the team still trailed by 8 with 15:10 remaining. That was the closest Jersey City could get, as Montclair extended their lead to as much as 28 points over the remainder of play. The Red Hawks cruised for the remainder of the game and left with the road victory.

Highlights:
- Brown III tied his career-high in made field goals (6), rebounds (7) and steals (2).
- Lewis set a new career-high in made three-pointers (3) and free throws (9).

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights will have a second-straight home match, as they'll prepare to host The College of New Jersey at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) this coming Saturday, Jan. 20 with a scheduled 3:00 p.m. tip-off. NJCU has won three of their last five matchups to the Lions.