Box Score

New York, NY … A three-point field goal at the buzzer gave the City College of New York a 76-73 victory over The College of New Jersey men's basketball team in its season opener on Monday night in New York.

Che' McCoy drained a three-point shot as time expired to cap off a late comeback for the Beavers.

The Lions (0-1) held a 73-70 lead after sophomore Bobby Brackett (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) dunked with 1:44 remaining. But McCoy answered to tie the game at 73 with 1:26 left on the clock. Both teams had chances to push ahead, but missed opportunities in the final minute.

CCNY gained possession with 21 seconds remaining. McCoy took a feed from Anthony Lewis and hit the game-winning shot from behind the arc to give the Beavers their first victory of the season.

Brackett led TCNJ with 21 points in his Lions' debut. He shot 8-for-12 from the floor and pulled down a robust 17 rebounds in the game. Junior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) finished with 20 points, while juniors Alex Fox (Washington, NJ/Westwood) and Emmanuel Matlock (Trenton, NJ/Solebury) each tallied nine points. Matlock added a team-high six assists.

Lewis, a 6-2 forward, put up huge numbers as he finished with 34 points and 14 boards. He connected on 16-of-21 shots. McCoy contributed 15 points, seven points, and three steals.

CCNY jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the opening five minutes. The Lions roared back with an 11-0 run and pushed ahead 15-14 when freshman Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) knocked down a three-pointer. The game settled for the next 10 minutes, but a 12-5 run by TCNJ gave the visitors a 43-39 advantage at the break.

The Lions held the lead for the majority of the second half. They stretched their advantage to seven points with 3:44 remaining when Brackett dropped in a layup to make it a 71-64 game. The Beavers played solid defense down the stretch and slowly inched their way back to set up the late-game heroics by McCoy.

Klacik hit a pair of three-pointers and finished with seven points. Joe Kane (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross) grabbed five rebounds in just seven minutes of action on the floor.

The Lions return home for their home opener on Wednesday when they take on Western Connecticut State University at 8 p.m. in Packer Hall.