#SCTop10 | HOLY MOLY! MADNESS AT THE JMAC!!!
Savoy drains a three and then Battle banks in the DEEP three-point buzzer-beater to take down #23-ranked Rowan; the Profs' first @NJACSports loss of the season!!@njcumbb @NJCUniversity @d3hoops @espn @ESPNAssignDesk @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/xvfzubJDFM
— NJCUGothicKnights (@NJCUAthletics) February 9, 2023
You just never know what is going to happen on any given night in the NJAC!
Complete chaos on Culver Ave. NJCU stunned Rowan, 73-71, on Thursday in truly bonkers fashion. Ryan Savoy drills a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 71-70 with 2.8 seconds left, then Jason Battle corrals a tipped inbounds pass and shot-puts a floater from midcourt for the win. And with an insane call by Voice of the Gothic Knights Tim Moore. Rowan was undefeated in conference play and nationally ranked. So that makes this even better.
NJCU (11-12, 6-10 NJAC) started off the night strong and stayed with the Profs (19-4, 15-1 NJAC) all night long before dealing Rowan its first loss in conference play this season. The Profs had previously won 11 straight this season and 21 straight in NJAC play dating back to Jan. 31, 2022, before the Gothic Knights dealt them the dramatic buzzer-beating blow tonight. Rowan started off the night strong and eventually built up a 10-point, 29-19 lead with 7:20 to go in the first half. Jersey City eventually chipped that deficit down to four points on a couple occasions down the stretch in the first and ended the first half down by just five at 39-34.
The second half was a different story, filled with countless fouls — including five technicals and three ejections — and free throw opportunities on each side, however the Gothic Knights came out on top with the seven-point, 39-32 advantage en route to the two-point, 73-71 victory. Rowan built back up to a nine-point, 43-34 lead with 18:51 to go, but then NJCU got it back down to two at 45-43 before things took a turn. With 14:05 remaining, a scuffle took place that resulted in a pair of double technicals and another single tech following a Rowan shooting foul, resulting in three ejections. The Gothic Knights, trailing by five at 48-43, converted on three of the four subsequent free throws to make it a two-point game at 48-46 — that started off a 5-0 run to tie it up at 48-48 with 13:55 left.
Both squads traded the lead back and forth until the Gothic Knights built up a six-point, 60-54 lead with 8:47 to go. Despite that, Rowan managed to take back control before leading by four points with only eight seconds remaining in regulation. From there, the story goes as Savoy and Battle do from three-point range …
Look, our personal college hoops motto is “We pay attention in March.” But this is still very awesome.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
