Senior Night program

Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team secured a post-season home game as they defeated Kean University 86-70 on Wednesday night.
 
The Lions (15-10, 11-7 NJAC) wrapped up the three-seed in the 2015 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament and will host New Jersey City University this Saturday at 3 p.m. in Packer Hall. In the other opening round game, Rowan University will visit Rutgers-Newark. William Paterson and Richard Stockton College earned the top two seeds and will receive a first-round bye.
 
Standing at 4-5 after a loss to the Pioneers on January 17, the Lions captured seven of their final nine conference match-ups to qualify of the NJAC playoffs for the first time the 2008-09 season. They needed a win to play their opening round game and sealed it by scoring a season-high 82 points.
 
Five players reached double figures for TCNJ as seniors Skyelar Ettin (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) and Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) each tallied 15 points. Ettin buried four three-point field goals in five attempts, while Johnson is now 21 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point milestone.
 
Junior Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) registered a double double with a team-high 16 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) knocked down three shots from long range to finish with 13. Ju
 
Cougar guard Tommy Soulias (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) put forth an outstanding effort and finished with a game-high 27 points. Senior Tim Steward (Dayton, OH/West Carrollton) netted 11 points, while Mike Diamond (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg) added 10 points in the loss.
 
The Lions bolted to a 14-3 lead in the opening six minutes. Brackett punctuated the run with a two-handed jam, plucking the ball out of the air and slamming it home off a missed shot.
 
Kean charged back, however, relying on its three-point shooting. Entering the game with a conference-high 224 three-point field goals made, the Cougars drained seven of their first 15 three-point attempts in the game. Five different players connected from behind the arc, including a pair from senior J.J. Hadlik (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) and Steward. A Diamond trey knotted the score at 20 with 8:46 remaining in the half.
 
Both teams traded punches down the stretch of the opening 20 minutes. A jumper by Soulias gave the Cougars a five-point advantage. The Lions quickly clawed their way back with consecutive free throws and managed to take a two-point lead into the break.
 
Two milestones were reached in the opening half. Brackett collected his 600^th career rebound and Ettin registered his 800^th career point with the Lions. Brackett now ranks sixth all-time in rebounds in program history.
 
Leading by three points early in the second half, TCNJ put on a press that gave Kean fits. Ettin and sophomore Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) hit three-pointers before Johnson fed Brackett for a drunk off a fast break. Brackett followed another miss with a slam at the 10:09 mark and the Lions held their largest lead of the game 63-44.
 
TCNJ fought the Cougars off down the stretch. They were extremely efficient shooting the basketball in the second half (62 percent) and held a 39-27 advantage in rebounds.
 
Klacik finished with 13 points and freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) added 10 points. Senior Alex Fox (Washington Twp, NJ/Westwood) also had eight points and five boards in the win.
 
TCNJ and NJCU split its season series. The Lions captured a thrilling comeback in Packer Hall in early January, but the Gothic Knights answered with a 63-58 win on February 7. The game is slated for 3 p.m.