Box Score

Madison, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's basketball team dropped a 73-61 decision at Farleigh Dickinson University-Florham on Tuesday night.
 
The Lions (6-5) matched the Devils (5-6) in the second half, but a 12-point deficit in the opening period proved to be the difference in the game. FDU (5-6) never trailed and was led by sophomore Will Green, who registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Junior Donovan Smalls (Union, NJ/Union) led TCNJ in scoring with 12 points and rebounds with six. Sophomore Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) contributed 11 points, nine of which came off three-point buckets. Senior Kyle Rawson (Warren, NJ/Watchung Hills) added 10 points and three steals in the contest.
 
For the second straight game, the Lions struggled to find their shooting touch from the onset. They hit just 10-of-27 shots (37 percent) in the opening half and fell behind early. FDU's Andrew Stress drained a 3-point shot on the Devils' opening possession and they never looked back. They opened up an 18-4 lead before TCNJ came to life with seven straight points. Rawson drilled a shot from behind the arc to cut the deficit to 18-11 with 11:11 to play in the half.
 
The Devils shot 50 percent in the opening 20 minutes and capitalized on TCNJ mistakes scoring 12 points off turnovers. They  led by as many as 15 points before Ettin nailed a three-pointer just before the break to make it a 38-26 halftime score.
 
Smalls knocked down a three-pointer to open the second half and Ettin followed suit to cut the lead to 38-32 less three minutes into the half. But that's the closest the Lions would come to taming the Devils. Adam Katz, who registered a game-high 16 points, helped stave off any significant threat by TCNJ along with Derek Hall (15 points) and Green. Green is the reigning Freedom Conference Player of the Week and is averaging a double-double this season.
 
Freshman Ryan Keegan (Farmingdale, NJ/Howell) added a season-best eight points and sophomore Matthew Rista (Point Pleasant, NJ/St. Anthony's) finished with seven points, five boards, and a pair of assists.
 
TCNJ heads into New Jersey Athletic Conference action tomorrow night, visiting Richard Stockton College for an 8 p.m. match-up. The Ospreys are 7-5 overall this season with a 1-0 mark in conference. The Lions are 1-1 in NJAC contests.