JERSEY CITY, NJ–On Wednesday night, GMC Hoops resumed its college hoops coverage for 2009-10 with a trip up to Jersey City. After seeing its first six straight college games including a trip out to Philadelphia to see Vermont take on Toledo in the Legends Classic at Drexel, the site hit a bump in the road when work being done on Route 206 North caused a long traffic jam that derailed an opportunity to see Centenary College in action against Immaculata College. The site plans to make up that game and travel to Hackettstown later on in the season.
Traveling to Jersey City, the site visited the Yanitelli Center for the first time ever, and saw the St. Peter’s Peacocks of the MAAC take on NJIT of the Great West Conference in a non-conference matchup. These two schools have matched-up against each other five previous times since the series started during the 1948-49 season. St. Peter’s has won all five entering Wednesday’s contest including victories in the 2006-07 season and the 2008-09 season. Both teams came into the contest coming off losses in their previous game.
Each team had a former standout from the Greater Middlesex Conference as Colonia’s Brandon Hall started for the Peacocks while South Brunswick’s Dan Stonkus was not dressed due to an injury suffered in the pre-season. As a matter of fact, both he and teammate Gary Garris were sitting out with injuries leaving the Highlanders a bit shorthanded. However, despite being short in numbers, NJIT put up quite a fight before succumbing to St. Peter’s. The Peacocks pretty much led throughout with the exception of an 8-8 tie at the 14:37 mark, a 10-8 NJIT lead at the 12:34 mark, and a 10-10 tie at the 12:18 mark.
Despite controlling things for the most part, St. Peter’s, which last qualified for the NCAA Tournament back in 1995, couldn’t shake the pesky foes from Newark. The Peacocks biggest lead of the first half was eight, and that dwindled to three at halftime. Then, after an 11-2 spurt to start the second half, St. Peter’s had an eleven point lead at 38-27 with 17:23 left. However, Peacock standout, and former Columbia of Maplewood hoops star, Ryan Bacon, left with an injury a short time later, and the Highlanders rallied. Trailing 48-38 with 8:51 left, NJIT put together a 7-0 run that included a three point play by freshman guard, Chris Flores at the 8:18 mark, a jumper by Isiah Wilkerson at the 7:21 mark, and a pair of free throws by P.J. Miller at the 6:54 mark that closed the gap to 48-45.
Then came the pivotal moment of the game, and perhaps one that is symbolic of the struggles that NJIT has had since moving up to Division I basketball. With 6:08 left in the contest, former St. Benedict’s Prep standout, Jheryl Wilson went for a three pointer from the top of the key that just missed. The grimace of frustration etched on his face. On St. Peter’s next possession, Darius Conley found Jeron Belin for a layup for a 50-45 lead with just under six minutes to play. Despite turning the ball over at the 5:37 mark, the Highlanders were able to claw within two when Wilkerson netted a three from the left side for a 50-48 score at the 4:53 mark. Belin responded though with a follow off a Conley tip of a missed shot for a 52-48 lead with 4:19 remaining.
Following a St. Peter’s timeout with 4:17 left, NJIT’s Drejon Scott was caught with his foot on the end line by the official with 3:58 to play. The Peacocks gave the Highlanders another chance when Conley traveled at the 3:42 mark, but NJIT was cited for an offensive foul with 2:47 to go. Nick Leon, who played for the Railsplitters at Lincoln High in Brooklyn, drained a backbreaking three pointer at the 2:10 mark, and then Hall fed Belin for a layup at the 1:26 mark that made the score, 57-48. From there, St. Peter’s went on to win, 65-54. For the game, NJIT shot 20 of 48 overall including 6 of 14 from long distance. The Highlanders shot themselves in the foot though by shooting 8 of 18 from the foul line. Meanwhile, St. Peter’s made 24 of 53 shots including 4 of 14 from downtown, and did better at the line going 13 of 18.
Former Bloomfield Tech standout, Wesley Jenkins was the star for St. Peter’s. He had a game high 25 points on 8 of 15 shooting including 2 of 5 from three while making 7 of 8 from the line. He also had 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in 35 minutes. Flores led NJIT with a team high 19 points along with 10 rebounds for a double-double. The Highlander freshman made 7 of 16 shots including 2 of 5 from beyond the arc, and netted 3 of 6 from the line. Wilkerson, who played hoops at Curtis in Staten Island, chipped in with 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting including 2 of 3 from long range. Leon chipped in for the Peacocks with 14 points and 3 rebounds. Hall played 26 minutes, and played within himself as he handed out 4 assists while committing only one turnover (at the 7:47 mark of the second half). He also showed great hustle, and played solid defense.
With the victory, St. Peter’s improved to .500 at 4-4 while NJIT dropped to 3-6 on the season. However, compared to the 1-30 season in 2008-09, the Highlanders are doing much better, and it showed with how well they competed in this contest. A more detailed article on this game will be forthcoming. In the meantime, catch details and box score on the game courtesy of NJIT Athletics page as well as an article from the St. Peter’s web site.