Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team registered its biggest win of the season as the upended Ramapo College 77-70 on Wednesday night in Packer Hall.
 
The victory was the third straight for the Lions and snapped a four-game skid in New Jersey Athletic Conference play. They raised their overall record to an even 6-6 mark and 2-4 in the NJAC.
 
The Roadrunners, who entered the game with seven wins in their last eight contests, fell to 9-4 overall. They are now 3-3 in the conference.
 
TCNJ combined spirited defense with a balanced offensive attack to put forth its best team effort in recent memory. Junior Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) rang up a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) led the Lions with 17 points and sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) provided a huge lift with a trio of three-point field goals in the second half.
 
Junior Frank Nock (Bridgeton, NJ/Bridgeton) led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Freshman Christopher Mosely (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, while freshman Thomas Bonacum (Fanwood, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) also reached double figures with 10 points.

The Lions battled their way to a 30-27 advantage at the break. Tenacious defense made it difficult for the Roadrunner offense and led to a flurry of off-balance shots. TCNJ allowed just 10 field goals in the opening 20 minutes and out-rebounded Ramapo 21-17. Brackett pulled down 11 of those boards and blocked a pair of shots.
 
Following a timeout and trailing 9-4, the Roadrunners rattled off 10 straight points to take a 14-9 lead. Back-to-back three-point field goals by freshman Kevin Johnson (Belle Med, NJ/Montgomery) pushed TCNJ ahead 15-14 with 8:38 remaining in the period.
 
A layup by sophomore Jermaine Peart (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Catholic) with just over four minutes to play in the half tied the match at 21. But TCNJ regained the lead by making four straight free throws.
 
With the game tied 41-41 in the second half, the Lions caught fire ignited by the play of Klacik. He drained his second three-point shot of the half to put TCNJ ahead 49-43 lead with 11:47 remaining. Klacik later converted a conventional three-point play and then connected from behind the arc on the left wing, giving the Lions a 60-48 lead with 8:59 to play.
 
TCNJ took its largest lead at 64-48 when Jayson Johnson took a feed off a fast break from Kevin Johnson. The Roadrunners responded with a 7-0 spurt to draw within nine with 6:22 left on the clock. Brackett, however, was fouled as he dropped a shot in off the glass and hit the ensuing free throw to stretch the advantage back to 12 points.
 
Ramapo made a late run and cut the deficit to 71-68 with 1:46 remaining. Nock connected from behind the arc and sophomore James Long (Matawan, NJ/St. Joe's Metuchen) followed suit on the next possession. Long then converted a TCNJ turnover with an end-to-end run to make it a one-point game.
 
With 46 seconds remaining, Jayson Johnson drove the lane and rolled in a left-handed layup to give the Lions a 73-70 cushion. TCNJ made several key stops in the final seconds and made four straight free throws to seal the win.
 
Freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) played exceptionally well for TCNJ. He finished with 10 points, four boards and four assists. Kevin Johnson contributed 13 points on five-of-six shooting in 12 minutes of play. Klack finished with 14 points and senior Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) added seven points and strong leadership in the win.
 
The Lions continue conference play this Saturday afternoon when they host New Jersey City University at 3 p.m. in Packer Hall.