Marc Brown 24-1
©Rob Romeo
59
Brooklyn Brook 0-1,0-0 CUNYAC
61
Winner New Jersey City NJCU 1-0,0-0 NJAC
Brooklyn Brook
0-1,0-0 CUNYAC
59
Final
61
New Jersey City NJCU
1-0,0-0 NJAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Brooklyn Brook 23 36 59
New Jersey City NJCU 27 34 61

Next Game:

at Saint Elizabeth

11/13/2024 | 7:00 P.M.

Next Game

Full Schedule
Nov. 13 (Wed) / 7:00 P.M.
at Saint Elizabeth
History

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Contact: Tom Krychkowski; Assistant Athletic Director for Communications & Marketing

Men's Basketball Opens Season with a Thrilling 61-59 Win Over Brooklyn

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The New Jersey City University men's basketball team opened its 2024-25 campaign with a narrow, 61-59, win over Brooklyn College on Saturday afternoon. 

NJCU (1-0) was led by Marc Brown Jr.'s 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Jaheim Lewis (Hillside, N.J./Hillside) tallied 11 in the game while Hakeem Wilson (Newark, N.J./North Star Academy) and Raymond Ezike (Newark, N.J./Westside) paced the team with six rebounds each. Brooklyn (0-1) shot 44.7% from the floor led by 4-of-5 shooting by Randolph Charles. Offensively, it was Malik Dale who led the team with 14 points while Brendan Armour grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. 

The Gothic Knights got off to a red-hot start, scoring the first seven points, five of which came from Brenden Kelly (Clark, N.J./Elizabeth). Brooklyn settled into the game and whittled down the Gothic Knights' double-digit lead to 9 with 8:05 remaining in the first half. NJCU's offense stalled at 20 points, a drought that lasted three minutes and allowed Brooklyn to cut the lead down to one. The Gothic Knights, behind buckets from Lewis and Brown Jr., held off the Bulldogs' surge to take a 27-23 lead into the break. 

Four minutes into the second stanza, the Bulldogs knotted the game up at 30 on a layup by Stephon McGill. Ezike quickly grabbed hold of the lead for the Gothic Knights with a layup off of a pass by Avante Gilbert (Paterson, N.J./International). Despite taking control of the lead, the Bulldogs refused to back down and eventually took a two-point lead with 12:19 to go. Momentum remained with Brooklyn as they saw their lead balloon out to six points, their largest of the game. In just two minutes, however, the Gothic Knights erased that deficit and flipped the game in their favor with a jumper by Gilbert. 

The game remained close as the minutes continued to dwindle and with 37 seconds remaining, Brooklyn tied the game at 59 with a three-point basket by Dale. The Bulldogs immediately called a timeout which, in time, would prove beneficial to the Gothic Knights as Wilson pulled up and hit what would be the game-winner. Brooklyn stormed down the court and pulled up for a deep three that would fall short, giving the Gothic Knights a 1-0 start to the season. 

FROM HEAD COACH MARC BROWN:
"Today was a great win. Last year, that game might have gotten away from us but we held onto the win despite us not playing our best ball offensively. I'm very proud of the team and I'm looking forward to Wednesday against Saint Elizabeth."

For the latest news, updates, and information on New Jersey City University sports, visit njcugothicknights.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Gothic Knights news by following NJCU Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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Players Mentioned

Avante Gilbert

#10 Avante Gilbert

F
6' 6"
Fifth Year
Brenden Kelly

#0 Brenden Kelly

G
5' 8"
Senior
Jaheim Lewis

#5 Jaheim Lewis

G
6' 4"
Senior
Hakeem Wilson

#1 Hakeem Wilson

G
6' 0"
Senior
Raymond Ezike

#33 Raymond Ezike

C
6' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Avante Gilbert

#10 Avante Gilbert

6' 6"
Fifth Year
F
Brenden Kelly

#0 Brenden Kelly

5' 8"
Senior
G
Jaheim Lewis

#5 Jaheim Lewis

6' 4"
Senior
G
Hakeem Wilson

#1 Hakeem Wilson

6' 0"
Senior
G
Raymond Ezike

#33 Raymond Ezike

6' 8"
Junior
C