DANA JOHN DRILLS 67TH THREE-POINTER, BREAKS SINGLE-SEASON RECORD
Sophomore swingman DANA JOHN (Hillside, NJ/Pocono Mountain East (Pa.)) reached the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this season and the fourth game in a row, and New Jersey City University extended its home court winning streak to 10 games, as the first-place Gothic Knights routed Rutgers University-Camden, 69-46, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference contest at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
With the win, NJCU (14-7, 8-2 NJAC) extended its amazing streak of consecutive seasons with a record of .500 or better to 37 dating to 1970—the second longest active streak in Division III, and the third longest in D-III history. Only Wittenberg University (OH) at 52 seasons (1955-present) has a longer active streak; Albany (NY) had a streak of 40 straight snapped in 1995.
Meanwhile, NJCU is riding a current eight-game winning streak and has won 9-of-10 since the start of 2007. The Knights have won eight consecutive NJAC games since an 0-2 start.
Camden (5-16, 1-10 NJAC) loses its fourth straight game. NJCU has dominated the all-time series, leading 47-4, including a 46-2 ledger in the 25-year career of head coach CHARLES BROWN (478-215). The Knights have won 37 of the last 38 meetings between the clubs.
John notched a game-high 23 points in just 28 minutes, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 6-of-12 from three-point range. He added six rebounds. The Knights improve to 9-2 all-time when he scores 20+.
With the six triples, John now has 67 three-pointers this year in 20 games, breaking the single-season record of 65 by Ed Baum in 1991. John increased his career total to 113, moving past Omar Cooper (108 3FG, 1994-96, 99-0) and Stefon Beck (109, 1991-94) into fourth place in school history.
Junior forward MARQUES HILL (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) shot 5-of-8 from the field, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds. He has now made 13 of his last 18 shots. Junior guard SHY MARTINEZ (Union City, NJ/Union Hill) came off the bench to pour in 10 points, including two treys.
Also for NJCU, sophomore guard KEVIN TUCKER (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris) had eight points, eight assists, and eight steals. Senior point guard ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) dished seven assists, as NJCU’s two starting guards combined for 15 of the team’s 19 helpers. Rookie forward DIVINE LYLES (Watchung, NJ/Watching Hills Regionals) pulled down seven rebounds.
Three players reached double figures for the Raptors, led by senior guard Dane Nicholson (Pleasantville, NJ/Holy Spirit) who finished with 15 points (5-12 FG), including 3-of-6 three-pointers and one steal. That steal gives him 158 in his career—breaking Camden’s career record he had shared with Marvin Young (1977-81).
Senior guard Sydney Francis (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) had a double-double with a game-high 13 rebounds (eight defensive) and 12 points in 40 minutes. Freshman guard Josh Askew (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township) had 11 points.
Overall, NJCU translated 24 Camden turnovers into a 32-13 margin in points off giveaways. NJCU also had a 23-3 margin in bench scoring.
In the first half, there were four ties, before NJCU gained the lead for good with 10:15 remaining. NJCU held a 30-26 halftime advantage.
But the Knights scored 11 of the first 14 points in the second period, and opened up a double-digit lead at 41-29. With NJCU leading 45-36 with 12:04 left, NJCU uncorked a 10-0 run to take a 19-point, 55-36 edge on a Lyles’ jumper at 8:50. The 10-0 spurt occurred with most of NJCU’s reserves in the game. NJCU’s largest lead was 27 (69-42) with 1:05 remaining.
After only out-rebounding an opponent three times in the first 18 games of the season, NJCU had the edge on the glass for a third straight contest.
NJCU can clinch an NJAC Tournament berth on Wednesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. when it visits William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. Camden is at Eastern University on Monday, February 5 at 8 p.m.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
Newspaper Box Score Rutgers University-Camden vs New Jersey City University 02/03/07 8 p.m. at Jersey City, NJ (John J. Moore AFC) At Jersey City, NJ (John J. Moore AFC) NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY 69, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-CAMDEN 46 RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-CAMDEN (5-16, 1-9 NJAC) Dane Nicholson 5-12 2-2 15; Sydney Francis 5-17 2-8 12; Joshua Askew 3-8 4-4 11; Rory Thornton 1-7 3-4 5; Tarell Robinson 1-2 1-2 3; David Meck 0-1 0-0 0; Antoine Miller 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 15-48 12-22 46. NEW JERSEY CITY UNIVERSITY (14-7, 8-2 NJAC) Dana John 7-13 3-3 23; Shy Martinez 3-9 2-2 10; Marques Hill 5-8 0-0 10; Kevin Tucker 4-9 0-1 8; Aaron Desir 1-3 2-2 4; Abraham Williams 1-4 1-4 3; Luis Dominguez 0-1 3-4 3; Bruce Rice 1-1 0-1 2; Divine Lyles 1-1 0-0 2; Jamal Slappy 1-1 0-0 2; Alex Mirabel 0-9 2-4 2; Josh Lopez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 13-21 69. Rutgers University-Camden..... 26 20 - 46 New Jersey City University.... 30 39 - 69 3-point goals--Rutgers University-Camden 4-11 (Dane Nicholson 3-6; Joshua Askew 1-2; Rory Thornton 0-3), New Jersey City University 8-27 (Dana John 6-12; Shy Martinez 2-5; Kevin Tucker 0-4; Aaron Desir 0-1; Alex Mirabel 0-4; Josh Lopez 0-1). Fouled out--Rutgers University-Camden-Antoine Miller, New Jersey City University-None. Rebounds--Rutgers University-Camden 36 (Sydney Francis 13), New Jersey City University 41 (Marques Hill 8). Assists--Rutgers University-Camden 8 (Antoine Miller 3), New Jersey City University 19 (Kevin Tucker 8). Total fouls--Rutgers University-Camden 21, New Jersey City University 19. Technical fouls--Rutgers University-Camden-None, New Jersey City University-None. A-269 NJCU leads all-time series, 47-4, and have won 37 of last 38 meetings. NJCU has won 10 consecutive home games, eight consecutive games and 9-of-10. NJCU guarantees a 37th consecutive season of at least .500 or better. Dana John breaks the single-season record for 3-pointers (Ed Baum, 1991, 65)