JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The Pratt Institute men's basketball team pushed until the final buzzer in its 2025-26 opener, coming up just short in an 81-70 decision at New Jersey City University on Saturday afternoon in both teams' season openers.
Pratt (0-1) received a team-high 18 points from first-year guard Elijah Fermaint (Orlando, Fla.), while Cameron Hatcher (Cincinnati, Ohio) knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Trey Phillips (Phoenix, Ariz.) posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double with two blocks, and the gold-and-black led or tied eight times in a back-and-forth first half before trailing 39-36 at the break.
The Cannoneers' perimeter shooting and glass work kept them within one or two possessions most of the day. Hatcher's fifth triple trimmed the margin to 56-54 with 11:31 to play, and his wing 3 with 3:01 left pulled Pratt within 70-66. After two free throws from Kurt Thomas (Dallas, Texas) made it 72-68 with 2:28 remaining, Phillips hammered home a dunk off a feed from Mekhi Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to make it 74-70 with 1:08 on the clock.
New Jersey City (1-0) answered late. Bakhi Rogers-Robinson hit a jumper with 38 seconds left and converted five free throws in the final 38 seconds to close it out. The hosts went 26-of-39 at the line for the game.
Pratt's effort on the boards and from distance stood out. The Cannoneers shot 10-of-22 from 3-point range and won the rebounding battle, 34-28. Davis added six points and a team-best four assists, while Thomas Graetz (Sydney, Australia) supplied nine points, including 4-of-4 at the stripe. Sebastian Roda (Greenwich, Conn.) chipped in six points in 13 minutes.
Turnovers and foul trouble proved costly down the stretch. The Cannoneers committed 23 turnovers to 11 for NJCU and were whistled for 32 fouls, with three starters disqualified in the final minutes.
Rogers-Robinson led NJCU with 39 points, shooting 10-of-17 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3, and 15-of-18 at the line, adding four steals. Donovan Crawford added 10 points, five rebounds and three steals, and Marc Brown Jr. had seven points and six assists for the Gothic Knights.
Pratt returns to Brooklyn for its home opener against Hunter College on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Activity Resource Center.
