Hodzic Sparks the Jersey Express Past the Bronx Holy Frames, 110-79

NEWARK, N.J. - Feb. 9, 2014 - PRLog -- Newark, NJ- January 9, 2013- Express center Almin Hodzic (Budd Lake, NJ) dominated play with 41 points and 14 rebounds in the Express’ 110-79 win over the Holy Frames on Saturday.

Jersey Express (8-1) got 12 points and 6 rebounds from Corey Chandler (Newark, NJ), four assists from Donald Hennie (Hackensack, NJ) and 6 points and 9 boards from William Goines (Paterson, NJ). Keon Lawrence (Newark, NJ) and Jason Smith (Paterson, NJ) scored 19 points each for the Express.

The Jersey Express set the tone from the opening tip rushing out to a 53-36 advantage by halftime. Eight of the nine Express made their way into the scoring column, including four points from Charles Smith (Newark, NJ) and three points from Terry Hill (Newark, NJ).

Hodzic helped set the tone in a furious surge over the final 20 minutes as the Express outscored the Holy Frames 54-43 in the second half. The 6-foot-11 center buried four of his six 3-point in the contest.  The express torched the nets with 10 threes in the contest shooting 38.5% from long range. Jason Smith and Hodzic combined to shoot 7-for-10 from beyond the arc.

The Express showcased the solid perimeter defense that it has displayed in the league this season, limiting Holy Frames to a 35.7% (5-14) shooting from 3-point territory. Travis Conyers (Jersey City, NJ) had six steels, while the Express also collected 38 of its 60 rebounds on the defensive glass. The Jersey Express capitalized on Holy Frame’s 28 turnovers, scoring a few points off their opponent’s mishaps.

Express converted 26-of-34 free-throw attempts (76.5%) while the Holy Frames struggled at the line going just 10-for-17 (58.8%). Lawrence finished 4-for-5 at the stripe, Hennie and Hodzic were both 3-for-4, and Chandler was 10-for-12.

The team returns to action Saturday February 15 for a meeting with the Staten Island Vipers. Tip time at Weequahic High School is slated for 5 p.m. 279 Chancellor Ave, Newark, NJ