Box Score

Ewing, NJ…The College of New Jersey men's basketball team hosted the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers University-Newark on Saturday in Packer Hall. The contest marked the NJAC opener for both teams as well as the Lions' first home game of the 2007-2008 season. Rutgers-Newark would come away with a 59-53 win to improve to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the NJAC, while TCNJ drops to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Sophomore guard James Johnson (Summit, NJ/Summit) would net a game-high 13 points in leading his team to the win after adding some key free throws in the final seconds of the game.

After a series of lead changes, Rutgers-Newark would take a 28-24 lead into the locker room as senior forward Derryck Alexander (Lakewood, NJ/Lakewood) paced the Scarlet Raiders with eight points in the first half. He also had five first half boards as RUN struggled from three-point arch, shooting just 28.6% (2-7). By game' end, he would finish with 12 points, while Johnson added 10 second half points in lifting his team to the win.

TCNJ's scoring output in the first half was extremely balanced as four players had five points, including senior co-captain, forward Mark Aziz (Hackettstown, NJ/West Morris Central), who had six first half rebounds for the Lions. Aziz led the Lions in the contest with 11 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guards William Jett (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) added a season-high 10 points in the contest.

In the opening minutes of the second half, RUN's junior guard Chadd Barnes (Newark, NJ/University), a 2006-2007 NJAC All-Star First Team honoree and the team's top scorer, went down with an injury and was lost for the rest of the contest. Barnes had six points and four rebounds in his 19 minutes of work, down from his 18.8 ppg average.

Down the stretch the Lions would pull with in three points, down 53-50 with 3:50 left to play. RUN would take a 57-50 lead before TCNJ added buckets including a three-pointer by sophomore Jay Frank (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) at 1:12 to keep the Lions within four, 57-53. Johnson would hit one of two free throws down the stretch at 18.2 seconds and another free throw at 8.1 second to give RUN a 59-53 lead.