JERSEY CITY, N.J. | Donovan Crawford (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) kissed a layup off the glass with 1.1 seconds left to lift New Jersey City University (NJCU) past The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), 70-69, at the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center on senior day.
The dramatic victory over the Lions snapped a six-game losing skid and pushed the Gothic Knights one game closer to hosting the NJAC Quarterfinals.
NJCU (14-10, 10-7) caught fire, shooting 47.1% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Bakhi Rogers-Robinson (Orange, N.J./West Caldwell Tech) dominated with a game-high 29 points, while Crawford delivered 12 points and eight rebounds. Arterio Williams (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) chipped in 10 points and a block.
TCNJ (18-6, 13-4) saw Nick Koch pace the Lions with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Matthew Solomon grabbed eight boards and added 13 points.
The Lions surged out of the gate on a 9-4 run before the Gothic Knights answered with an 11-2 burst to seize a 15-11 lead. Rogers-Robinson ignited the rally with six points. At the halfway mark, TCNJ reclaimed a one-point edge, 18-17, behind a Daniel Yurus three-pointer. Travis Pittman (Paterson, N.J./Albany Tech) knotted the game at 21 with a pair from the charity stripe with 7:15 remaining in the half, stemming the Lions' momentum. Rogers-Robinson scooped up a loose ball in the offensive half and sliced through a trio of TCNJ defenders for the layup and the lead.
After a pair of free throws by Arterio Williams (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West), the Lions seized control. TCNJ deployed an 8-0 run to create separation. The Gothic Knights clawed back late, capitalizing on a flagrant foul to head into the locker room trailing by four.
TCNJ maintained its advantage through the opening six minutes of the second half until Rogers-Robinson cashed in from deep to put NJCU ahead, 49-46. That basket proved to be the turning point, the Lions never regained the lead until Koch drilled a deep three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to put TCNJ ahead by one. The Gothic Knights burned their final timeout to draw up the game-winner. Marc Brown Jr. fired a line drive pass to Crawford under the basket for the wide-open layup. The Lions frantically threw the ball in, but Rogers-Robinson tipped the pass, forcing an off-target shot by Koch to seal the NJCU win.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Wednesday, February 18, against Rutgers-Camden at 7:30 pm in Camden, NJ.
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