JERSEY CITY, N.J. | The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's basketball team improved to 12-5 overall and 8-2 in the NJAC with a 65-57 victory over Ramapo College on Tuesday, January 21, at the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center. The win over the Roadrunners marks the second straight win and third in four matchups.
The Gothic Knights (12-5, 8-2 NJAC) were led by Bakhi Rogers-Robinson (Orange, N.J./West Caldwell Tech), who tallied 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while adding four steals and one assist. Brince Shelton (Brooklyn, N.Y./George Westinghouse) contributed 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting with two rebounds and one assist. Donovan Crawford (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) posted 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, going 2-for-5 from three-point range, while adding seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Ramapo (4-13, 3-7 NJAC) was led by Elijah Barlow's game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including two three-pointers, with seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Tyrell Murchison added 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting with three rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The game opened with both teams trading baskets early. After Enoch Hutchinson's jumper gave Ramapo a 2-0 lead, Shelton answered with a jumper to tie it at 2-2. Murchison's jumper in the paint put the Roadrunners ahead 4-2, but Crawford's three-pointer from Rogers-Robinson gave NJCU its first lead at 5-4. NJCU would remain in the lead and push its lead to eight behind a jumper by Jayden Brown (Teaneck, N.J./Immaculate Conception). Ramapo, with 5:25 to go in the half, cut the lead down to four, however, the Gothic Knights responded with a 10-2 run.
NJCU looked dominant down the stretch, racing to a 37-27 advantage at the half as Rogers-Robinson and Shelton led the charge.
What looked like a comfortable 12-point halftime lead quickly evaporated as Ramapo came out firing in the second half. Barlow and Tyrell Murchison combined for back-to-back buckets, and suddenly NJCU's cushion had shrunk to single digits. The early barrage of points cut the lead down to four before Rogers-Robinson tallied five quick points to put NJCU back up by 9.
Ramapo refused to let the Gothic Knight pull away and once again came within four thanks to a three-point basket by Lewis. A two-minute dry spell by both teams eventually led to Matt McSorley (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) and Rogers-Robinson going to the charity stripe to extend their lead to six. NJCU's suffocating defense forced Ramapo into low-percentage shots, which allowed the Gothic Knights to secure an eight-point NJAC victory.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Saturday, January 24, when they host Rowan University at 3:00 pm.
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