JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Gothic Knights' men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season to Stevens Institute of Technology, 62-53, at the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center on Wednesday, November 20. The loss to the Ducks marks the 4th loss to Stevens in school history, moving the record to 8-4 all-time.

NJCU (3-1) was led by Avante Gilbert's (Paterson, N.J./International) 14 points offensively while Jaheim Lewis (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) and Arterio Williams (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds each. Bakhi Rogers-Robinson (Orange, N.J./West Caldwell Tech) added 11 points for the Gothic Knights. Stevens (3-1) found success in the painted region, scoring 36 of their 62 points. Stuffing the stat sheet for the Ducks was Jack Spellman who finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and eight blocks.

Baskets by Gilbert and Raymond Ezike (Newark, N.J./Westside) gave the Gothic Knights an early lead over the Ducks, however, the Ducks quickly took over the lead position with six straight points. Gilbert gave the Gothic Knights an eight-point lead, NJCU's largest lead of the game, with 11:09 remaining in the half before Stevens swung momentum in their favor with a 9-0 run. Play continued to go back and forth as the first half continued until the 3:28 mark when Stevens ignited an 11-0 to give them control of the game before halftime. The Ducks held NJCU scoreless for the final four minutes of the first half to carry a 9-point lead into the break.

In the second half, the Gothic Knights slowly chipped away at the lead until they came within five points of the Ducks after Arterio Williams (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) converted a mid-range jumper. Stevens held off the Gothic Knights' surge and pushed its lead out to double-digits with 6:09 remaining in the game. Struggles from the charity stripe hindered the Gothic Knights from mounting a comeback late in the game as the Ducks held on to pick up a non-conference win.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Saturday, November 23 where they will travel to Farmingdale for their final non-conference game before conference play.

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