News Release

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Saturday, February 07, 2004 (MEN’S BASKETBALL)

GOTHIC KNIGHTS CRUSH CAMDEN, 104-55 TO IMPROVE TO 17-5

NJCU NOW 73-0 ALL-TIME WHEN SCORING 100; 49-POINT MARGIN IS TIED FOR 7TH LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY EVER

The New Jersey City University men’s basketball team clinched the No. 1 seed in the Blue Division for the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament, and did so in style, by tying for the 7th largest margin of victory in school history and improving to 73-0 all-time when scoring 100 points in a game as the Gothic Knights pummeled Rutgers University-Camden, 104-55, Saturday evening at the Athletic & Fitness Center.

The last time NJCU won a game by 49 or more points was December 19, 1989 when the Knights hammered Lehman College by 57 (105-48). The 100-point output is the first of the 2003-04 season for NJCU, which last scored 100 on December 21, 2002 in a 117-78 win at Medgar Evers College.

NJCU improves to 17-5 on the season and 8-2 in the NJAC, with three regular season games remaining. Camden loses its fourth straight to fall to 4-17 and 2-8 NJAC. NJCU leads the all-time series 42-4 and have won 32 of the last 33 meetings. The Knights also improve to 21-2 against Camden in Jersey City, with NJCU taking 16 consecutive homes match-ups in the series. NJCU is 41-2 overall and 20-1 at home against RC in the 22-year tenure of Head Coach CHARLES BROWN.

In a game where all 13 active members of the NJCU roster saw action, the third team received just as much, if not more minutes than some of NJCU’s starters. All 13 players scored at least two points for the Knights.

NJCU shot 60.9 percent for the game, making 39-of-64 shots. The Knight rang up an amazing 69.0 percent shooting success rate in the second half (20-of-29), and were good on 19-of-35 (54.3 percent) in the opening stanza.

NJCU was led by senior All-American candidate SAMAR BATTLE (East Orange, NJ/Clifford Scott) who led all scorers with 26 points (10-of-17) in just 23 minutes of action, while adding 11 rebounds (seven defensive), and five steals. He had 21 at the half, but only played six minutes in the second period. He now has 1357 career points, and has scored 20 or more 12 times this season. The Knights improve to 23-3 all-time and 11-1 this season when he scores at least 20.

Junior forward JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) poured in 13 points in 12 minutes on 5-of-6 shooting and 3-of-4 from three-point range. Sophomore point guard ALEX MIRABEL (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) finished with 12 points in 19 minutes, while shooting 4-of-5 from the field and the line.

Freshman forward RODNEY LIGON (Newark, NJ/University) returned to action for NJCU, and scored nine (3-of-5) with five rebounds in 14 minutes. Junior forward ARSHEN HUNTER (Plainfield, NJ/Plainfield) had the best game of his career, notching eight points (4-of-6), with a career high six rebounds in just 13 minutes. Sophomore guard KAREEM COLLINS (Hillside, NJ/Hillside) distributed a career-high nine assists.

Also for NJCU, freshman center ABRAHAM WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/Lincoln) had three blocks with five points and five rebounds, senior forward HAROLD WILLIAMS (Jersey City, NJ/St. Aloysius) grabbed eight rebounds with six points, and freshman forward LAMAR JONES (Irvington, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) contributed five points, five rebounds, and four assists.

In a losing cause senior forward Jonathan Jean-Louis (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) had a fine game, with 21 points (8-of-20) and a game-high 12 rebounds. No other Raptor had more than eight.

NJCU unselfishly delivered 31 assists as a team, the most since passing 39 in the 117-78 win over MEC in 2002. NJCU more than doubled Camden on the glass, owning a 64-31 advantage, including 47-13 on the defensive end. The 64 boards are the most since ripping down 60 against Montclair State on February 14, 2001.

NJCU sealed a 54-18 margin on scoring in the paint, and the Knight bench outscored the RC reserves, 51-19. NJCU committed 31 turnovers in the thumping, but it did not hurt them. NJCU hit 9-of-13 from three-point land (69.2%). Camden finished shooting just 23.3 percent overall (17-of-73) and 22.2 percent from deep (4-of-18).

The Knights never trailed, and opened up a 13-3 lead in the first 5:06 of the first half, and a 29-14 margin at 9:43. The Knights maintained a 37-26 edge at 6:33 of the first before a 27-4 run over the next 10:43 of the late first half and early second made it a 34-point, 64-30 NJCU lead at 15:50. NJCU led 52-30 at the intermission. The run extended to 39-7 as NJCU led 76-33 at 13:01. Its largest advantage was 54, when Jones sank a jumper to make it 103-49 at 4:14 of the second half. NJCU reached the 100-point plateau at 4:37 on a Hunter tip-in.

NJCU is off until next Saturday, February 14 when it returns to action in a NJAC Blue Division game at The College of New Jersey, starting at 4pm.
-WWW.NJCU.EDU/GOKNIGHTS-

Newspaper Box Score
Rutgers-Camden vs New Jersey City U.
02/07/04 8 pm at Jersey City, NJ (Athletic & Fitness Ctr)
At Jersey City, NJ (Athletic & Fitness Ctr)
NEW JERSEY CITY U. 104, RUTGERS-CAMDEN 55
RUTGERS-CAMDEN (4-17, 2-8 NJAC)
Jonathan Jean-Louis 8-20 5-6 21; Tyrone Rucker 3-13 0-0 8; Tim Genovese 1-8
1-1 4; Gene Mergenthal 0-8 4-6 4; Jarett Mutts 1-6 2-3 4; Barry Huver 2-3
0-0 4; Paul Turkot 1-2 0-0 3; Dane Nicholson 0-6 3-4 3; Sean Smith 1-4 0-0
2; Paul Smith 0-2 2-6 2; Mike Hopson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-73 17-26 55.
NEW JERSEY CITY U. (17-5, 8-2 NJAC)
Samar Battle 10-17 4-6 26; Javier Rodriguez 5-6 0-0 13; Alex Mirabel 4-5 4-5
12; Rodney Ligon 3-5 1-2 9; Arshen Hunter 4-6 0-1 8; Christopher Kates 2-4
2-2 7; Harold Williams 3-5 0-0 6; Lamar Jones 2-4 1-2 5; Abraham Williams
2-4 1-1 5; Bo Agnan 1-1 2-5 4; Mark Washington 2-4 0-2 4; Mike Barry 1-1 0-0
3; Kareem Collins 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 39-64 17-28 104.
Rutgers-Camden................   30   25  -   55
New Jersey City U.............   52   52  -  104
3-point goals-Rutgers-Camden 4-18 (Tyrone Rucker 2-6; Tim Genovese 1-3; Paul
Turkot 1-2; Barry Huver 0-1; Dane Nicholson 0-1; Sean Smith 0-1; Paul Smith
0-1; Gene Mergenthal 0-3), New Jersey City U. 9-13 (Javier Rodriguez 3-4;
Rodney Ligon 2-2; Samar Battle 2-3; Mike Barry 1-1; Christopher Kates 1-2;
Lamar Jones 0-1). Fouled out--Rutgers-Camden-Jarett Mutts, New Jersey City
U.-None. Rebounds-Rutgers-Camden 31 (Jonathan Jean-Louis 12), New Jersey
City U. 64 (Samar Battle 11). Assists-Rutgers-Camden 11 (Paul Smith 3), New
Jersey City U. 31 (Kareem Collins 9). Total fouls-Rutgers-Camden 20, New
Jersey City U. 21. A-222
49-point margin of victory ties for 7th largest in school history.
NJCU improves to 73-0 all-time when scoring 100+ points.
Win marks 74th time in school history NJCU has won by 30 or more points.
NJCU improves to 23-3 all-time and 11-1 in 2003-04 when Battle scores 20+.