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NJAC TOPS CUNYAC IN 2002 |
| After
dropping the inaugural CUNY/NJAC Senior All-Star Challenge last season,
the New Jersey schools took it right at the New York City team, as the
men claimed the championship of the Metropolitan Area with a thrilling
115-113 victory at the College of Staten Island on Wednesday, March 20.
The NJAC also walked away with an 75-70 victory in the first such clash
between the senior women. The NJAC men's squad ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 37-29 lead and extended it to a 20-point margin halfway through the second quarter. Only a furious comeback by the City University of New York cut the deficit to two, 115-113 with ten seconds left, on a free throw by CUNY Player of the Year David Paul. On the subsequent play Medgar Evers’ Khalil Nixon made a steal, setting up a final shot by the CUNY team. But a basket by Staten Island’s Paul was clearly after the buzzer, resulting in a 115-113 win by the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Rashaan Barner of William Paterson University was named MVP for the NJAC team due to a game-high 25 points on 11-13 shooting from the field. Also for New Jersey, Rutgers-Newark’s Asmar Fortney scored 18 points, New Jersey City’s Irv Jenkins had 17 points and Ramapo’s Robert Anderson chipped in with 12. For the women, the NJAC squad was up 41-35 at halftime of the 48-minute game but a 8-0 CUNY run in the middle of the fourth quarter knotted the score at 67-67, with 4:37 left to play. One minute later, holding a 69-68 advantage, Ramapo College’s Tara Larkin scored on a breakaway layup to hold off the CUNY team for the duration of the contest. Larkin (Mendham, NJ) was named the game’s Most Valuable Player from the winning team with 21 points. No one else scored in double-digits for the NJAC team, as all 12 players scored. |