Box Score GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University men's basketball team used a late 14-0 run to come back and upset 24
th-ranked New Jersey City University, 91-88 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Saturday night.
The Gothic Knights led 76-68 with 5:18 to play. The Profs then began their stretch of 14 straight points to go ahead 82-76 with 3:32 remaining. Guards
Nick DePersia (so. Cherry Hill, NJ/Haddonfield Mem.) and
Jeff Haddock (fr. Burlington, NJ/Willingboro) each scored five points in the run. Guard Jalen Harris (sr. Brandywine, MD/Gwynn Park) made back-to-back layups (3:11, 2:46) and NJCU trailed by two (82-80). Haddock had a layup (2:28) and a three (1:52) to push the lead to seven (87-80).
Forward Sam Toney (fr. Somerdale, NJ/Williamstown) converted a foul shot (1:31) and a three-pointer (1:14) and forward James Julius (so. Linden, NJ/Linden) added a layup (0:28) to cut the deficit to one (89-88). Haddock drew a foul with 19 seconds left and converted both free throws for the three-point advantage. The Gothic Knights missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer and the Profs celebrated the victory in front of a raucous Esby Gym crowd.
Rowan improves to 14-8 overall and sits in fourth place in the conference with a 9-6 mark. NJCU has a 17-5 record and are in third place in the NJAC standings (11-4). The Gothic Knights are 24
th in this week's
D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
Haddock finished with a season-high 24 points. DePersia continued his recent hot streak with 24 points, hitting at least 20 for the fourth outing in a row. Guard
Rob DePersia (so. Cherry Hill, NJ/Haddonfield Mem.) totaled 13 points and six assists while forward
Shawn Wilson (sr. Pleasantville, NJ/Pleasantville) recorded 12 points and four steals. Forward
TJ Booth (jr. Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), guard
DaRon Curry (so. Deptford, NJ/Phelps School (PA)) and Wilson all grabbed five rebounds.
Toney ended the contest with 21 points and five boards. Harris tallied 17 points and six rebounds. Guard Ata Robinson (sr. Newark, NJ/East Side) registered 11 points while forward Kevin Brown (jr. Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth), center Yuri Brutus (so. Roselle Park, NJ/Roselle Park) and Julius contributed with nine points apiece.
The Profs had a 15-9 lead in the first half (16:31). NJCU had a 13-2 surge to take a five-point advantage (22-17) at the 10:14 mark. Brown scored six points, Brutus had four and Toney added three. Harris drilled a three (4:35) and a jumper (3:56) and the Gothic Knights were up 31-23. Rowan followed with nine consecutive points to go ahead by one (32-31) with 2:14 on the clock.
Nick DePersia led the rally with five points. The Profs were in front 39-36 at the break.
NJCU had a three-point cushion (45-42) with 15:51 left in the second period. The Gothic Knights pushed the margin to 13 (55-42) with 10 straight points but Rowan scored 10 in a row afterwards to bring the deficit back to three (55-52). The score was tied for the third and final time at 59 with 9:30 to go. Toney made three shots at the line (9:23) to give NJCU the upper hand until the Profs' comeback in the final minutes.
Rowan begins a two-game road trip on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at Kean University. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.
