Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team put forth a herculean effort as they defeated Rutgers-Newark 74-62 in front of a frenzied crowd in Packer Hall on Saturday afternoon.
 
The victory was the fourth straight New Jersey Athletic Conference for the Lions, who now have nine wins in their last 11 contests. TCNJ improves to 12-8 overall on the season and 8-5 in conference play. They continue to move up in the NJAC standings and are currently in a third-place tie with the Scarlet Raiders (14-6, 8-5 NJAC).
 
To label the win as a team effort would be understated as impactful contributions came from Lion players up and down the roster. Freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) scored 17 second-half points, all of which seemed to come at critical moments. Senior Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) knocked down four, three-point field goals to finish with 14 points. Junior Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) was a single rebound shy of a double double, tallying 10 points and grabbing nine boards.
 
Junior Jordan McDaniel (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) led Rutgers-Newark with 17 points and nine rebounds. Junior David Azoroh (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) had a strong performance with 16 points and senior Christian Garcia (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) added 12 points in the loss.
 
The Lions were electric in the opening half and held a 36-25 lead at the break. TCNJ scored 11 unanswered points, and during that run, played stifling defense on the Scarlet Raider offense. In that stretch, Rutgers-Newark missed a shot, turned the ball over three times (twice off steals) and had a shot blocked by freshman Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood).
 
RN settled in and began to chip away at the Lions lead late in the period. A layup by McDaniel closed the gap to 30-23. But Ettin answered with a pair of three-point field goals, the second with just two ticks on the clock that brought the crowd to its feet just before the buzzer.
 
The Lions did not allow their momentum to fade at all coming out of the locker room. Bermudez drilled back-to-back 3s to grow their lead 42-27. Foul trouble forced him to the sidelines and the Scarlet Raiders capitalized.
 
RN mounted a run of their own, outscoring the Lions 16-3 over the next seven minutes to cut their deficit to 45-43 with 12:02 remaining. Four minutes later, Azoroh found McDaniel with a bounce pass underneath to tie the match at 47.
 
Following a timeout by Head Coach Kelly Williams, Murdock, Jr. erupted for eight points to put the Lions back up by six. He hit a three-pointer and drove the lane for a layup less than 30 seconds. After a Rutgers-Newark basket, Murdock, Jr. was fouled on a short jumper and made the ensuing free throw for a 55-49 advantage.
 
Rutgers-Newark battled back as Garcia tallied four straight points. Senior Doze (Olwuegbu (Union, NJ/Union) dropped in a pair of free throws and the game was back to even. With 3:48 on the clock, Murdock, Jr. struck again from behind the arc, taking a feed from sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) to make it a 58-55 TCNJ lead.
 
The Lions' defense seized the win in the final minutes. They did not allow a field goal from the 5:07 mark until there was under 30 seconds left in the match. Free throws by senior Alex Fox (Washington, NJ/Westwood) and senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) and a layup off a steal by Murdock, Jr. secured the thrilling home win.
 
TCNJ returns to Packer Hall on Wednesday night when they take on NJAC foe Rowan University at 8 p.m.