JERSEY CITY, NJ –  New Jersey City hit two three-pointers in the final 2.4 seconds to defeat #23 Rowan, 73-71, and hand the Profs their first conference loss of the year in NJAC men's basketball action, while ending their 11-game winning streak.
 
Rowan (19-4; 15-1 NJAC) held a 71-67 lead with :08 remaining, but Ryan Savoy hit a turnaround three-pointer with less than two seconds to go, and NJCU's Allah Pharoah tipped the inbounds pass to Jason Battle, who banked in a turnaround three from 30-feet out for the gamewinner.
 
Ja'Zere Noel had 24 points for Rowan and Andrew Seager scored 14, including five of the Profs' final seven points, while grabbing 11 rebounds. Marcellus Ross had 10 points and hit three three-pointers, which was Rowan's entire total for the game.
 
Rowan led for most of the first half, but NJCU (11-12; 6-10) came on early in the second, outscoring the Profs, 14-5, to tie the game at 48-48. The teams traded leads the rest of the way, with the biggest margin being a 60-54 NJCU advantage after the Gothic Knights rattled off eight straight points.
 
The Profs answered with six consecutive points of their own, including four free throws by Seager, to tie the game at 60-60. NJCU went back up, 63-60, before Rowan connected on six free throws to take a 66-63 lead and then gained a 69-65 advantage after Seager hit a jumper with :29 to play.
 
With :21 remaining, Avante Gilbert scored on a layup to pull NJCU within, 69-67, and the Profs got a free throw apiece from Connor Dickerson at :20 and Seager at :08, giving them what seemed to be a safe 71-67 lead, before the heroics by NJCU's Savoy and Battle.
 
In the early going, Noel scored six points in an 8-0 run that gave the Profs a 17-12 lead, which they would eventually expand to their biggest margin of the game, 29-19, with 7:20 remaining. Although the Profs were in front the rest of the way, NJCU cut its deficit to 39-34 at halftime.
 
Rowan struggled to score from the perimeter in the second half, going 6-for-26 from the field and 1-for-11 from three-point range, but connected on 19-of-25 from the foul line.
 
The Profs are back at home on Saturday when they take on Rutgers-Newark at 3 p.m. and will then close out the regular season at home on February 15 against Montclair State on "Senior Night".