Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team registered a dramatic victory as they came from far behind to defeat New Jersey City University 61-59 on Saturday afternoon in Packer Hall.
 
Sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) knocked down a long jumper with 3.9 seconds remaining to finish off a tremendous comeback win. Those final 3.9 seconds were the only time TCNJ held the lead in the contest as the Gothic Knights opened the game with a 19-0 run.
 
With scored tied 59-59, senior Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) stripped the ball on the defensive end to gain possession. Following a timeout, Klacik received the ball and dribbled left and just inside the three-point arc. His shot found nothing but net, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. The desperation shot for NJCU at the buzzer was wide left and the Lions gutted out their fourth consecutive win.
 
TCNJ improved to 7-6 overall and 3-4 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. NJCU fell to 3-10 and 1-6 in the NJAC.
 
Senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) led all scorers with 17 points. Klacik finished with 14 and Ettin hit a trio of three-pointers for 11 points.
 
Junior Khalid Muhammad (Orange, NJ/Orange) paced the Gothic Knights with 12 points and nine rebounds. Senior Eddie Browne (Newark, NJ/Newark East Side) matched that offensive output with 12 points, while Jourdan Roberson (Brooklyn, NY/University Newark) also reached double figures with 10 points.
 
The Lions dug a deep hole in the opening half, missing their first 13 shots of the game. The Gothic Knights tallied the first 19 points of the match-up as TCNJ didn't get on the scoreboard until Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) dropped in a free throw with 10:51 remaining in the period.
 
Klacik gave the Lions some life heading into the locker room as he buried three-point field goals on back-to-back trips down the floor. The distance daggers closed the gap to 31-17, in a that half TCNJ shot just 14 percent from the floor.
 
TCNJ gradually chipped away at NJCU's lead in the second half, and with 13:25 remaining in the game, Klacik drained another long 3 to cut the deficit to single digits. Roberson responded at the opposite end with a field goal from behind the arc, but Ettin drilled his third three-pointer of the second period to make it a 46-37 with 12:39 to play.
 
The Lions continued to fight, and trailing 54-45 with 4:37 left on the clock, Jayson Johnson rebounded his own miss and was fouled on his way back up. After the play, NJCU was assessed with a technical foul, giving Johnson four free throws. He made all four and TCNJ suddenly trailed by just five points. Freshman Kevin Johnson (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) followed with a layup and the Gothic Knight lead diminished to three points with 3:57 remaining.
 
NJCU sustained its lead and held a 59-54 advantage with less than a minute to play. Klacik came up big again, however, hitting a three-pointer with 40 seconds on the clock. Freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) showed his presence of mind and quickly stole the inbounds pass before being fouled. He made both free throws, and for the first time since the opening tip, the game was tied at 59-59.
 
Ettin came up with the clutch steal on the ensuing possession to set up Klacik's heroic shot. The sophomore guard also had four steals in the contest, while Murdock, Jr. and Jayson Johnson copped three. Kevin Johnson finished with seven points in the win.
 
The Lions are back in action this Monday when they visit Baruch College for a non-conference battle slated for 7:30 p.m.