Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team ran into a tough opponent in Rutgers-Newark as they fell 66-56 in the Golden Dome Arena on Saturday night.
 
The Scarlet Raiders improved to 7-1 overall with their fourth straight win and raised their New Jersey Athletic Conference record to 3-0. The Lions dropped to 3-5 this season and 1-3 in league play.
 
Rutgers-Newark is known for its tenacious defense (ranked second in the NJAC in scoring defense) and held TCNJ to just 16 field goals on 40 attempts in the game. They failed to shut down Lions' senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy), however, as he finished with a career-high 27 points. The talented guard scored 20-plus points for the fourth time in the last six contests and is now averaging 19.3 points per game this season.
 
Propelled by a 7-0 run to open the game, the Scarlet Raiders never trailed in the match. They also hauled in 13 offensive rebounds, which led to a 16-1 advantage in second-chance points.

In the opening half, TCNJ trailed but cut the deficit to 21-17 after back-to-back layups by Johnson. Senior Chris Foreman (Union, NJ/Union) responded by draining three-point field goals on consecutive trips down the floor to restore a cushion for Rutgers-Newark.
 
The host held a 36-27 lead at the break and rode the back of senior Christian Garcia (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) in the second half. He connected on 6-of-8 shots in the final 20 minutes and finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in the game.
 
The Lions did keep the outcome in question with a 12-2 run after the midway point of the second half. Johnson, Freshman Nick Alaimo (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough), junior Bobby Brackett (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence), freshman Steven Kelly (Newtown, NJ/Newtown) and sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) all contributed points during the stretch to pull within 52-46 with 6:16 to play.
 
The Scarlet Raiders maintained their poise to hold off TCNJ and remain unbeaten in the NJAC. Their physical style of play made it difficult for the Lions to gain position and get good looks at the basket.
 
Senior Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) finished with seven points and rebounds, while Brackett compiled nine boards, four blocks and five points. Sophomore Alex Cirlincione (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean) added three assists and three steals.
 
The Lions continue conference play this Wednesday night when they visit Rowan University for an 8 p.m. tip-off.