JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The Rowan Profs defeated the New Jersey City University (NJCU) Gothic Knights, 73-61, on Saturday afternoon in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Quarterfinal at the John J. Moore Athletic Center. With the win, Rowan advances to the NJAC semifinals, where it will face the nation’s top-ranked team, the Montclair State Red Hawks.
Brycen Williams, dubbed “Playoff Bryce” by head coach Eric Brennan, led all scorers with 27 points and totaled half of Rowan’s made three-pointers.
Rowan also showed major improvement on the glass compared to Wednesday’s loss. Against Stockton, Rowan surrendered 47 total rebounds, including 17 on the offensive end. On Saturday, the Profs grabbed 39 rebounds and allowed only six offensive rebounds.
“I told the guys, rebound or go home,” Brennan said. “That’s how it is in Jersey City.”
Williams delivered a bounce-back performance after scoring just nine points on 1-for-8 shooting in Wednesday’s loss to the Stockton Ospreys. He knew something had to change between the Stockton game and Saturday’s matchup with NJCU.
“I owed it to the guys. I played terrible,” Williams said. “There’s no second chances now, so I told the guys, especially the seniors, I got them tonight. The coaching staff especially, I owed it to them.”
Brennan’s faith in Williams was rewarded when it mattered most.
“I knew once game time came he was going to be aggressive from the jump,” Brennan said. “That’s what we need him to be. And that’s Playoff Bryce.”
Williams wasn’t the only standout. Taz Cantey finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Offensively, Rowan had only two players score in double figures, but defensively the contributions came from everyone.
The Profs recorded 11 steals and three blocks. Williams was one of two players to record both a block and a steal, along with Michael Pirone. Freshman Khamai Orange tallied four steals, including the game-sealing steal and slam dunk with 3:57 remaining that extended Rowan’s lead to 14.
“These guys were just one out there, and they were connected defensively,” Brennan said.
Williams echoed that sentiment.
“We knew today we couldn’t not play defense or we were going to go home,” Williams said. “It’s just that mindset of we can’t go home right now, and we just took care of business.”
Next up for the Profs are the Red Hawks, who have just one loss this season and completed a regular-season sweep of the Profs.
“We have to handle their pressure,” Brennan said. “We know they’re a good team. Our guys are going to be up for it. We’re the underdog. There’s a lot of pressure on them.”
Williams believes defense will be the key to pulling off the upset.
“We know what we have to do. We play this brand of basketball,” Williams said. “It’s going to take everybody, and we’re up for the challenge.”
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