New Jersey City University burst out to a 10-2 lead in the first 1:48 of action and five players reached double figures in scoring, as the Gothic Knights defeated an opponent by 30 or more points for the 81st time in school history, with a 98-65 rout of Briarcliffe College, in the 2006-07 home opener for NJCU at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
NJCU (3-0) wins its sixth consecutive game and for the 12th time in its last 13 contests since last season, and leads the series, 3-0. BC falls to 2-3. The game was the 1,499th on record in NJCU history.
NJCU shot above 50 percent in each period, finishing at 52.2 percent for the game (36-69). The Knights forced 32 Briarcliffe turnovers. NJCU had a 26-8 margin in fast-break points and 30-19 in points off turnovers. The NJCU reserves outscored the Seahawks bench, 41-18.
Sophomore guard KEVIN TUCKER (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) scored a game-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 2-of-4 from three-point range, and added nine assists in 21 minutes. Senior center ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) notched 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting in 23 minutes, and added two blocks. His only miss came on his first three-point attempt in two seasons.
The Gothic Knights received 14 points (5-9 FG), including two threes and two blocks from the reigning NJAC Player of the Week, sophomore swingman DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain), who played 23 minutes. Freshman forward DIVINE LYLES (Watchung, NJ/Watchung Regional) had 14 points in 14 minutes, while shooting 5-of-7.
Also for NJCU, junior guard AARON DESIR (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) chipped in 11 points (3-6 FG), five rebounds, four steals and three assists in 16 minutes. Junior forward MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) contributed seven points, six boards, three assists and three blocks in 23 minutes.
All 12 players on the roster played at least 10 minutes, and 11 scored. NJCU shot 20-of -30 from the free throw line (66.7%).
The Seahawks received a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting from freshman forward Anthony Crispino (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale). Freshman forward Eugene Nottingham (Amityville, NY/Amityville) finished with 13 points (6-13 FG), and four assists. Briarcliffe out-rebounded NJCU, 42-36, with 17 offensive rebounds on 42 missed shots, leading to a 16-7 edge in second chance points. Overall, the Seahawks shot 39.1 percent (27-69), but 4-of-15 from long distance (26.7%).
When NJCU surged to a 10-2 lead to start the game, John scored seven of the Knights points. The lead expanded to 33-19, and NJCU held a 22-point cushion (51-29) on a Desir three with 1:18 left in the period, before heading to the break up 51-35.
NJCU opened the second half on a 20-8 run. The Knights led 65-39 off a 14-4 spurt, as Williams scoring eight of his points early in the second half. NJCU’s largest lead came with 9:33 remaining, when a lay-up by freshman guard JOSH LOPEZ (Jersey City, NJ/St. Mary’s) made it 81-45—a 36-point cushion.
NJCU will return to action on Monday, November 27 at 7 p.m. in a non-conference game at John Jay College in New York, NY.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
Team Stat Comparison
NJCU John Jay
Score 98 65
Half-Time Score 51 35
Field Goal Percentage 36-69 (.522) 27-69 (.391)
Three-Point Percentage 6-21 (.286) 4-15 (.267)
Free Throw Percentage 20-30 (.667) 7-11 (.636)
Rebounds (O-D-T) 11-25-36 17-25-42
Assists 29 16
Turnovers 19 32
Blocks 7 4
Steals 19 9
Fouls 16 23
Largest Lead 36 0
Points in the Paint 48 30
Points off Turnovers 30 19
Second Change Points 7 16
Fast Break Points 26 8
Bench Points 41 18
Newspaper Box Score Briarcliffe College (NY) vs New Jersey City University 11/21/06 7 p.m. at Jersey City, NJ (John J. Moore AFC) At Jersey City, NJ (John J. Moore AFC) NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY 98, BRIARCLIFFE COLLEGE (NY) 65 BRIARCLIFFE COLLEGE (NY) (2-3) Anthony Crispino 6-10 4-4 16; Eugene Nottingham 6-13 0-0 13; Stanley Shorter 5-10 0-0 10; John Lopes 3-16 0-2 8; Cory Hall 2-6 1-1 6; Devin Manning 3-4 0-0 6; Lindon Webster 2-4 0-0 4; Brian Alfieri 0-2 2-2 2; Alvin Parker 0-3 0-2 0; Shawn Walden 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-69 7-11 65. NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY (3-0) Kevin Tucker 5-8 5-6 17; Abraham Williams 8-9 0-2 16; Dana John 5-9 2-3 14; Divine Lyles 5-7 4-4 14; Aaron Desir 3-6 4-5 11; Marques Hill 3-4 1-1 7; Jamal Slappy 3-9 0-2 6; Bruce Rice 1-3 3-3 5; Josh Lopez 2-7 0-2 4; Alex Mirabel 1-4 0-0 3; Dashan Martin 0-2 1-2 1; Shy Martinez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-69 20-30 98. Briarcliffe College (NY)...... 35 30 - 65 New Jersey City University.... 51 47 - 98 3-point goals--Briarcliffe College (NY) 4-15 (John Lopes 2-6; Eugene Nottingham 1-4; Cory Hall 1-3; Brian Alfieri 0-1; Alvin Parker 0-1), New Jersey City University 6-21 (Dana John 2-6; Kevin Tucker 2-4; Alex Mirabel 1-2; Aaron Desir 1-2; Josh Lopez 0-3; Dashan Martin 0-1; Shy Martinez 0-1; Divine Lyles 0-1; Abraham Williams 0-1). Fouled out--Briarcliffe College (NY)-John Lopes; Eugene Nottingham, New Jersey City University-None. Rebounds--Briarcliffe College (NY) 42 (Anthony Crispino 10), New Jersey City University 36 (Marques Hill 6). Assists--Briarcliffe College (NY) 16 (Eugene Nottingham 4), New Jersey City University 29 (Kevin Tucker 9). Total fouls--Briarcliffe College (NY) 23, New Jersey City University 16. Technical fouls--Briarcliffe College (NY)-None, New Jersey City University-None. A-303 NJCU leads all-time series, 3-0. NJCU wins by a margin of 30+ for the 81st time in school history. Game was 1,499th on record in NJCU history.