Box Score

Ewing, NJ... The College of New Jersey men's basketball team outplayed visiting Drew University to claim their fourth straight victory 77-66.

The Lions (8-5) had four players in double-figures as senior Will Manhart (Hillsborough, NJ/Immaculata) and junior Steven Siracusa (New Providence, NJ/New Providence) posted career highs in the win. Siracusa netted 17 points along with a game-high nine rebounds while Manhart played a terrific all-around game with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots.

Senior Aaron Syvertsen (Midland Park, NJ/Midland Park) was 8-for-16 from the floor to lead TCNJ in scoring with 19 points. Fellow senior Jay Frank (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), who was honored before the game for joining the 1,000-point club, dropped in 16 points.

The Lions controlled the game from start to finish never trailing at any point in the contest. They played tight defense early on holding Drew (2-10) scoreless over five minutes midway through the opening half to take a 25-13 lead.

The Rangers went on a 7-0 run to close the gap to 25-20 with 3:42 remaining in the opening half, but TCNJ recovered to extend their advantage to 34-24 at the intermission.

The Lions kept the Rangers at bay for most of the second period, but Drew made a run reeling off eight straight points capped by a three-pointer from freshman Evan Elberg (North Caldwell, NJ/West Essex Regional) to close the gap to 51-42 with 11:21 remaining.

Manhart, whose energy on the court was a factor on both ends of the floor, knocked in a jumper to stop the bleeding. He then assisted Siracusa on a layup to regain a double-digit advantage..

The Rangers cut lead to 65-59 with 3:50 to play, but TCNJ scored their final 12 points from the foul line to put the game on ice.

Elberg finished the game with a team-high 17 points to lead Drew and sophomore McNeil Wrice (New Holland, PA/Pequea Valley) had 16 points and three assists.

Freshman Brandon Johnson (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) notched a career-high seven points and four assists.

The Lions are back in action this Wednesday night at home against New Jersey Athletic Conference foe Rutgers University-Camden. The men's game plays the second end of the double-header at 8 p.m. The women's match is set for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Drew remains on the road visiting Goucher College on Saturday, January 16.