Middletown, PA …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team shot 63 percent from the floor in the second half to key a 66-58 road victory over Penn State-Harrisburg on New Year's Eve in Middletown, PA.
 
The Lions (4-6) connected on 12-of-19 shots after the break, including a trio of clutch three-pointers from sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge). The win snapped a three-game skid for TCNJ. Senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Academy Center) led all scorers with 20 points, while junior Bobby Brackett (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) put forth a dominant effort with 17 points and 18 rebounds.
 
The Nittany Lions battled to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit, but eventually fell to the hot-shooting Lions' offense and dropped to 1-9 on the season.
 
TCNJ held a comfortable lead and stretched it to 12 points after the intermission on a layup from freshman Steven Kelly (Newton, NJ/Newton). But Penn State clawed its way back into the contest and took a 37-36 lead with 12:51 remaining in the game.
 
The score was tied on three different occasions over the next five minutes of play before Nittany Lion Arick Sudini knocked down a jumper to put his team ahead 45-43. Klacik quickly responded with his second, three-point field goal of the half and third of the game. He then capitalized on a pair of free throws to extend the lead to three 48-45.
 
Penn State drew within a basket on a layup by Sudini with 4:28 left on the clock. But Klacik struck again, burying another shot from behind the arc to make it a five-point game. A dunk by Brackett off a feed from freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) with 30 seconds remaining sealed the win for TCNJ.
 
The Lions held a colossal advantage in the rebounding column, out-boarding the Nittany Lions 44-23 in the game. Brackett dominated the glass the opening 20 minutes, compiling more rebounds (13) than all 12 players combined for Penn State.
 
Klacik finished with 14 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds. Murdock made solid contributions with five points, four boards and three assists.
 
Sodini led the Nittany Lions with 15 points and five rebounds. Winton Lyle also reached double figures with 11 points.
 
TCNJ resumes play on Monday, January 5 when they return home to play FDU-Florham at 7 p.m. in Packer Hall.