Box Score

Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's basketball team suffered a 72-48 setback to Kean University in New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Wednesday night in Packer Hall.

The Cougars (4-1, 2-1 NJAC), who rank third in the NJAC in scoring defense, held the Lions (1-6, 0-3 NJAC) to 14 field goals en route to their fourth win in five contests.

Sophomore Bobby Bracket (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) led TCNJ with his sixth double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Junior Alex Fox (Washington, NJ/Westwood) finished with seven points and freshman Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) added six points and two assists.

Senior guard Michael Burton (Irvington, NJ/South Plainfield) led all scorers with 19 points. Junior guard J.J. Hladik (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) enjoyed a hot shooting night hitting 5-of-6 shots from behind the arc for 15 points, while sophomore guard Tom Soulias (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) finished with 14 points and a game-high four assists.

Kean surged to a 38-27 lead at the intermission. Burton was difficult to stop as he netted 14 points to match his season average on 5-of-8 shooting. A 13-4 advantage on second-chance points was a difference-maker in the opening half. Fuller helped fuel that advantage with three offensive boards.

TCNJ managed just seven field goals in the first 20 minutes, but took advantage from the charity stripe, converting 11-of-12 free throws.

A 13-1 run to open the second half stretched the visitor lead to 51-28. Tight defense by the Cougars limited the Lions to a single field goal in the first seven minutes of the half. Hladik highlighted the Kean offense as he drained four consecutive three-point field goals to put the contest out of reach.

Brackett hit 3-of-4 shots from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line. He currently leads the nation in double-doubles with six.

TCNJ will continue its conference schedule on Saturday when they visit Rutgers University-Camden for a 3 p.m. match-up.