Jersey City, NJ – Stockton University (6-8, 4-3 NJAC) battled back from a double-digit deficit to lead briefly with just over five minutes remaining but couldn't sustain the momentum and fell to New Jersey City (10-4, 5-2) 79-67 in an NJAC road game. The Gothic Knights were the preseason favorite to win the NJAC championship.
 
Keenan Williams Jr. (Paulsboro/Paulsboro) led the Ospreys with 18 points followed by Tariq Baker (Brooklyn, NY/St. Anthony's) with 16 points. Williams and Baker were a combined 7-12 (58.3%) from three-point range.
 
Stockton stayed close for the first 10 minutes before a 17-1 run by NJCU resulted in a 31-14 deficit for the Ospreys. Stockton trailed by double figures for the rest of the half and 40-27 at the break. The Ospreys were 2-8 from three-point range while the Gothic Knights were 6-12 in the half. Baker scored 10 points in the period.
 
In the second half, Stockton faced a 58-43 deficit with 13 minutes on the clock. Williams scored eight points, Baker hit two straight three-pointers and Brandon Hamilton (Camden/Paulsboro) netted four of his nine points as the Ospreys surged ahead 65-63 with a 22-5 run. Baker's two straight treys capped the outburst, and Stockton had its first lead of the game with 5:45 to go.
 
New Jersey City then regained the lead with six straight points. Overall, the Ospreys were outscored 16-2 in the last five-plus minutes, with a jumper by Williams Jr. at the 4:05 mark the only Stockton points. The drought proved to be Stockton's undoing in the 79-67 setback.
 
Sam Toney led the Gothic Knights with a game-high 25 points and Denzel Banks added 18 markers off the bench for the home team.
 
Up next, Stockton will host Rutgers-Newark in an NJAC game at The Sports Center on Wednesday at 8 pm.