Norfolk, VA …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team rebounded on short rest to earn its first victory of the season as they defeated Delaware Valley College 67-57 at the Virginia Wesleyan College Tip-Off.
 
The Lions (1-1) used a balanced attacked to defeat the Aggies (0-2) as three players reached double figures. Sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) paced TCNJ with 17 points and five rebounds. Senior co-captain Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) drained four, three-point field goals to finish with 16 points and classmate Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Academy Center) added 12 points and three assists.
 
TCNJ used an 18-6 run in the final six minutes of the first half to take command of the contest. A three-pointer by Johnson followed by a jumper from Klacik put the Lions ahead 36-27 with 3:01 to play in the period. Klacik was later fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws before Ettin drained a long-distance shot to stretch TCNJ's lead to 42-30 at the break.
 
For the game, the Lions shot 46 percent from behind the arc.
 
DelVal made a run at TCNJ at the midpoint of the second half. They scored 10 unanswered points to cut the deficit to 53-47. Klacik silenced the Aggies with a three-pointer off a feed from freshman Eric Murdock Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater).
 
With just five minutes to play, Delaware Valley continued to apply pressure and trimmed the Lions' lead to four points. But clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch staved off the Aggies' rally and allowed TCNJ to secure its first win.
 
Junior forward Bobby Brackett (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) dominated the glass, hauling in a game-high 15 rebounds. He also chipped in with six points, along with Murdock and freshman Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood).
 
TCNJ remains on the road and visits Western Connecticut State University this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Danbury, CT.