Sophomore swingman DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain) poured in 26 points and connected on four three-pointers as the New Jersey City University men’s basketball team led from start to finish, and defeated College of Staten Island, 90-77, in the opening round of the season-opening Sixth Annual Emmanuel College Tip-Off Tournament at the Jean Yawkey Center.
NJCU (1-0), which improved to 4-0 all-time when John reached 20 on the scoreboard, will face Gwynedd-Mercy College in Sunday’s championship game at 5 p.m.
John, who was one point shy of matching his career high, scored 17 of his 26 points in the first half as the Knights, who won by 13, opened a 47-35 margin at the mid-way point. He added six rebounds, five assists and two blocks, while shooting 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point range.
Junior forward MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, with six rebounds in his debut as a Gothic Knight, while senior center ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) added 10 points (5-of-12), five rebounds, and four steals.
Also for NJCU, sophomore guard KEVIN TUCKER (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) tallied nine points, seven assists and four steals in his debut for the Knights, while freshman forward DIVINE LYLES (Watchung, NJ/Watchung Regional) scored eight points in 11 minutes to open his career. Senior point guard ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) had seven points, five rebounds and three assists, while senior forward JAMAL SLAPPY (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Catholic) chipped in seven points.
The Dolphins lost despite five players reaching double figures, led by sophomore center Sean Weismuller (Brooklyn, NY/Madison) who had 29 points (12-21 FG, 2-3 3FG), six rebounds and four steals. Junior forward Gari Blackett (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn College Academy) had a double-double with 13 points (6-12), 11 rebounds and three blocks, and senior guard Mike Jones (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Junior guard Robert Mesjasz (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while freshman Christian Montervino (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) contributed 10 points.
NJCU shot 45.7 percent overall (32-70) after a 50.0 percent first period, and converted more free throws (21-32, 65.6%) than the Dolphins had opportunities (11-18, 61.1%). CSI shot 53.6 percent (15-28) in the first half before finishing at 31-of-67 (46.3%). CSI had a 43-42 edge in rebounding.
NJCU made the most of its bench, receiving a 28-10 margin in scoring from its reserves. NJCU also held a 20-11 cushion in fast-break scoring and 21-12 in second-chance possessions. NJCU’s largest lead was 15 at 18:01 of the second half.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
Team Stat Comparison
NJCU Staten Island
Score 90 77
Half-Time Score 47 35
Field Goal Percentage 32-70 (.457) 31-67 (.463)
Three-Point Percentage 5-15 (.333) 4-12 (.333)
Free Throw Percentage 21-32 (.656) 11-18 (.611)
Rebounds (O-D-T) 19-23-42 18-25-43
Assists 24 14
Turnovers 17 22
Blocks 3 5
Steals 19 10
Fouls 20 23
Largest Lead 15 0
Points in the Paint 50 46
Points off Turnovers 21 25
Second Change Points 21 12
Fast Break Points 20 11
Bench Points 28 10
Newspaper Box Score Staten Island vs New Jersey City 11/18/06 7 pm at Boston, MA (Jean Yawkey Center) At Boston, MA (Jean Yawkey Center) NEW JERSEY CITY 90, STATEN ISLAND 77 STATEN ISLAND (0-1) Weismuller, Sean 12-21 3-4 29; Jones, Mike 6-10 1-1 13; Blackett, Gari 6-12 1-2 13; Mesjasz, Robert 5-11 1-4 11; Montervino, Chris 2-6 4-4 10; Yocum, Kyle 0-4 1-2 1; Hennessey, Ryan 0-2 0-1 0; Tisi, Anthony 0-0 0-0 0; Lewis, Maurice 0-0 0-0 0; Crimmins, Robert 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-67 11-18 77. NEW JERSEY CITY (1-0) Dana John 9-19 4-4 26; Abraham Williams 5-12 0-0 10; Marques Hill 5-6 0-2 10; Kevin Tucker 4-11 1-4 9; Divine Lyles 2-4 4-6 8; Alex Mirabel 1-3 4-4 7; Jamal Slappy 3-5 1-2 7; Aaron Desir 2-3 2-4 6; Shy Martinez 1-2 3-4 5; Josh Lopez 0-2 2-2 2; Dashan Martin 0-3 0-0 0; Bruce Rice 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-70 21-32 90. Staten Island................. 35 42 - 77 New Jersey City............... 47 43 - 90 3-point goals--Staten Island 4-12 (Weismuller, Sean 2-3; Montervino, Chris 2-3; Mesjasz, Robert 0-2; Hennessey, Ryan 0-1; Crimmins, Robert 0-1; Jones, Mike 0-2), New Jersey City 5-15 (Dana John 4-10; Alex Mirabel 1-1; Kevin Tucker 0-1; Divine Lyles 0-1; Aaron Desir 0-1; Josh Lopez 0-1). Fouled out--Staten Island-Jones, Mike, New Jersey City-None. Rebounds--Staten Island 43 (Blackett, Gari 11), New Jersey City 42 (Dana John 6; Marques Hill 6). Assists--Staten Island 14 (Mesjasz, Robert 5), New Jersey City 24 (Kevin Tucker 7). Total fouls--Staten Island 23, New Jersey City 20. Technical fouls--Staten Island-None, New Jersey City-None. A-50 Emmanuel College Tip-Off Tournament