Box Score

Jersey City, NJ --- The Brooklyn College Men's Basketball team suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University, 70-68, in a non-conference tilt earlier tonight at the John J. Moore AFC in Jersey City, NJ.

With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 10-6 overall on the season, while the Gothic Knights improve to 14-4 overall on the year.

Senior guard Amil John led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Classmate and backcourt partner Tyshawn Russell added 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals, while junior forward Kavon Baker finished the night with 12 points and three steals.

Kaihrique Irick dropped a team-high 19 points for NJCU, to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds for the double-double. Michael Morris added 10 rebounds coming off the bench, while Walik Albright dished out seven assists.

The first half featured a tight contest with six ties and two lead changes. Brooklyn led by as many as four in the half, while Jersey City led by as many as five in the period. The Gothic Knights would eventually take a slim two-point advantage, 32-30, heading into the halftime break.

Similar to the first half, the second half saw five ties and five lead changes. Following a free throw by Russell that put the Bulldogs up by seven, 59-52, their largest of the game, with 4:51 left before the final buzzer, the Gothic Knights clawed their way back in with a 7-0 run to close out the half and force the overtime period. Each team had its respective chance to net the go-ahead shot in the final seconds, but neither team was able to convert.

BC would strike first in the extra time jumping out on a 6-0 run, to take a 65-59 lead with 3:27 remaining in the game. However, NJCU would once again use a late run, this time a 9-0 run, to take a 68-65 lead with just 1:07 left.  The Gothic Knights would hit a pair of free throws down the stretch to escape with the 70-68 victory.

For the game, Brooklyn shot 35.1% (20-57) from the field, but was held to just 22.2% (2-9) shooting from three. The Bulldogs also shot 76.5% (26-34) from the free throw line.

NJCU shot 42.4% (25-59) from the field, including going 29.4% (5-17) from beyond the arc. The Gothic Knights also shot 68.2% (15-22). The key of the game came down to the battle of the glass, as Jersey City out-rebounded Brooklyn 47-31, which led to a 17-3 advantage in second chance points for the home team.

Brooklyn returns to action this Wednesday, January 25th, as the Bulldogs will travel to New York, NY to take on the Bloodhounds of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in a key City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Doghouse.