Norfolk, VA …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team dropped a 91-60 decision to Virginia Wesleyan College in its season opener at the Marlin Tip-off Tournament in Norfolk, Va. on Saturday night.
 
The Lions (0-1) squared off against one of the top programs in Division III basketball and the Marlins (1-0) demonstrated why they have qualified for the NCAA championship tournament the past four seasons. VWU hit an incredible 14 three-point goals in the opening period to surge to a 30-point halftime lead. They shot 73 percent (14-of-19) from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
 
TCNJ came out with a resilient attitude after the intermission and battled the Marlins point-for-point in the second half until the final buzzer.
 
Junior forward Bobby Brackett (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) picked up where he left off a season ago, registering a double-double with a team-high 20 points and 15 rebounds. Senior co-captain Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Academy Center) also reached double figures, netting 15 points and dishing out three assists.
 
Virginia Wesleyan showcased its depth as six different players finished in double figures. Greg Montgomery knocked down 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while shooting guard Tim Jones tallied 13 points. He drained a trio of three-point buckets on four attempts.
 
A pair of runs by the Marlins in the opening half created too much distance for the Lions to overcome. With the scored tied 7-7, VWU put together a 20-5 run in just over seven minutes. The first five baskets in that stretch were drained from long distance by four different players.
 
A lay-up by Lions' freshman guard Eric Murdock Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) cut the deficit to 27-17 with 8:46 to play in the period. The Marlins then rattled off the next 13 points in a little over three minutes to take command of the game.
 
Following the break, TCNJ mounted a 9-0 run to close the gap to 60-45 with 12:53 left in the contest. But Virginia Wesleyan responded with 11 unanswered points to secure its first victory of the season.
 
Murdock finished with seven points as did sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge). TCNJ shot 50 percent from the floor in the second period (12-of-24) and held an overall 41-29 advantage in rebounds.
 
TCNJ will take on Delaware Valley College tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the consolation game. The Aggies were defeated 82-66 by Newport News Apprentice School in the opening game of the tourney.