Box Score

Union, NJ …. Sophomore Alex Fox (Washington Twp., NJ/Westwood) scored a career-high 31 points as The College of New Jersey basketball team defeated Kean University 63-53 in New Jersey Athletic Conference action in Union, NJ.
 
It marked the first time the Lions (1-4) tasted victory this season as Fox scored 21 second-half points to spark the offense and lay to rest a four-game skid. The left-handed shooting forward hit 10-of-14 shots from the floor (71 percent), which included a trio of three-pointers. Fox was also proficient from the free-throw line, converting on 8-of-10 foul shots awarded.

TCNJ produced a standout performance on the defensive end as well, holding Kean to just 20 points in the opening half and 35 percent shooting in the game. The Lions also won the battle under the boards for the first time in five contests, out-rebounding the Cougars 35-28.
 
Junior Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) continued to excel, draining three shots from behind the arc to finish with 16 points. Sophomore Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) was instrumental in the win, grabbing a game-high nine boards, scoring six points, dishing out five assists, and registering four steals. His performance was a shot in the arm for the Lions, particularly considering the absence of injured point guard Emmanuel Matlock (Trenton, NJ/Solebury).
 
Kean jumped out to an early lead before a three-pointer by Ettin put TCNJ up 14-12 at the midpoint of the opening period. The Cougars evened the score on a pair of free throws, but Fox drained his first three-point shot of the game followed by three straight free throws to give the Lions a six-point cushion. Kean pulled within a basket late in the period, but a tip-in by Fox put TCNJ ahead 24-20 at the intermission.
 
The Lions continued to push after the break and stretched the lead to 16 points midway through the second half. Fox hit seven of nine shots in the second half as Johnson distributed four of his game-high five assists.
 
The host Cougars put together a late run to make things exciting down the stretch. Down by 18 points after a Johnson layup with 6:51 to play, Kean methodically chipped away and cut the deficit to six points with 46 seconds remaining in the game. Fox finished off a feed from Johnson on the ensuing possession, however, and junior Joe Kane (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross) drained a pair of free throws to seal the victory. He finished with seven points and seven boards.
 
Kean's Michael Burton scored a team-high 17 points in the game, while Michael Shaughnessy chipped in with 11 points.
 
Ettin and Fox have are both finding the bottom of the net more often than not through the first five games. Fox is shooting a white-hot 70 percent from the field (21-of-30), while Ettin is hitting shots at a rate of 58 percent (32-of-55). Ettin leads the Lions in scoring averaging 16.0 points per game.
 
TCNJ will remain on the road Monday night when they visit Eastern University at 7 p.m. The Lions return to Packer Hall as they resume New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, December 5 when they take on Rutgers University-Camden at 8 p.m.