New York, NY …A 22-5 run to open the second half cemented a convincing victory as The College of New Jersey men's basketball team defeated John Jay College 84-53 on Wednesday afternoon in New York, NY.
 
The Lions (6-4) put forth one of their most complete efforts in the young season, dominating nearly every statistical category en route to their second straight win and third in four games. Sophomore Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) enjoyed a tremendous game, leading all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooing. He also dished out six assists and grabbed four rebounds in the win.
 
Junior Nick Alaimo (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) was nearly perfect shooting the basketball, draining four-of-five shots from the floor and all five free throw attempts. Rookie guard Jordan Glover (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) also reached double figures with 11 points, while picking up four rebounds.
 
TCNJ shot 51 percent from the floor and knocked down 10 three-point field goals. They won the rebounding battle, shot 88 percent from the free-throw line, and racked up 10 steals that led to 22 points off turnovers.
 
The Bloodhounds (2-9) were feisty in the opening period and held a 19-17 lead with 9:08 to play in the half.  But the Lions showed their teeth from that point forward. Junior Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) took a feed from Murdock, Jr. and laid it in to spark a 13-2 run. Murdock, Jr. accounted for six of those points and finished with 10 in the period.
 
First-year head coach Matthew Goldsmith was able to motivate his players to sustain that momentum as the Lions kept their foot on the gas after the break. Murdock, Jr. dropped in a layup before Glover connected from downtown and TCNJ was off and running. When Glover collected his own rebound after a miss and deposited his second chance, the Lions held a 61-30 advantage with just over six minutes off the clock in the second half.
 
Klacik finished with eight points and a pair of assists, while sophomore Lance Taylor (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) came off the bench to put nine points in 13 minutes of play. Classmate Steven Kelly (Newton, NJ/Newton) contributed eight points on four-of-six shooting and sophomore Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) led TCNJ with seven boards.
 
The Lions will celebrate the New Year before returning to competition on Monday, January 4 when they visit Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham campus for a match-up slated for 7 p.m.