Box Score

Ewing, NJ…The College of New Jersey men's basketball team hosted the Red Hawks of Montclair State University on Saturday in NJAC action. The Red Hawks came away with the 70-63 NJAC win to improve to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in the NJAC, while TCNJ drops to 4-8 overall and 0-2 in the league. MSU would get a game-high 16 points from freshman guard James Williams (Englewood, NJ/Dwight Morrow) while sophomore guard Mike Hern (Hamburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley) to help the Red Hawks to the victory.

MSU led 30-28 at the break after pair of key three-point baskets from TCNJ's junior guard Jeff Molinelli (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) and a score from junior forward Adam Gonzalez (Rochelle Park, NJ/Hackensack) to bring the Lions within two after trailing 30-23 with 1:42 left to play before the break. Molinelli led the Lions with nine first half points.

MSU's Williams added 10 points in the first half and was an impressive 5-6 from the floor to pace MSU's efforts that included a team field goal percentage of 51.9% (14-27). The Red Hawks also held the Lions to just 36.7% from the floor in the first stanza and held a narrow 17-15 edge on the boards at the break. Williams finished hitting 8-of-9 shots from the floor and helped MSU finish the game with a 50.0% effort from the floor (26-52).

MSU emerged at the break and would hold the Lions scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half as they built a 36-31 lead as William Jett (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) finally got a layup and a free throw to break the drought. TCNJ would tie the action at 40-40 with 13:50 left to play on a three-point field goal from sophomore guard Jay Frank (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), but then MSU took over again with a 10-0 run and held a 50-40 lead at 9:43.

TCNJ did not go away and with 1:44 left only trailed by five down 60-55 after junior center Ryan Washington (Edison, NJ/JP Stevens) fouled out and the Lions hit two free throws.
MSU's sophomore guard Ken Dudley (Willingboro, NJ/Burlington Tech) hit two free throws with 1:02 left to give his team a 64-57 lead. TCNJ's senior guard Corey Gilmore (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) hit two free throws at 58.2 seconds left and pulled the Lions within five again, down 64-59. The Red Hawks' Hern went to the line at 54.8 and hit one free throw to give MSU a 65-59 lead. After a pair of baskets from each team, TCNJ got the ball back with 37 seconds left and failed to collect the basket before MSU's Eric Johannesen (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney) would hit both of his two free throws at 27.8 seconds left and give his team a 69-61 lead. Hern returned to the line at 21.6 seconds and added one more point and gave his team a seven points lead.

For the Lions, senior guard Jeff Warner (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) added a team-leading 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while senior forward Mark Aziz (Hackettstown, NJ/West Morris Central) netted 14 points and Jett contributed 10 points.

TCNJ returns to action on Wednesday, January 16 travelling to Kean University for an 8 p.m. NJAC contest, while MSU hosts William Paterson the same night, also at 8 p.m.