Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey men's basketball team dropped a 69-63 decision to Rowan University on Wednesday night in Packer Hall.
 
The loss halted a four-game winning streak for the Lions. They're overall record now stands at 12-9 and 8-6 in New Jersey Athletic Conference play. The Profs snapped a seven-game skid and improved to 13-8 overall and 7-7 in the conference.
 
Senior Jayson Johnson (Bordentown, NJ/Life Center Academy) and freshman Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) led the Lions on offense, each scoring 15 points in the game.
 
Prof junior Ike Robinson (Trenton, NJ/Conwell-Egan Catholic) had a big night, registering a double double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Kris O'Connor (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Paul VI) added 18 points and hit several big shots down the stretch.
 
The Lions came out with a balanced attack in the opening half. Nine different players decorated the scoring column in the first period. Freshmen Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) and Steven Kelly (Newton, NJ/Newton) did a terrific job manning the interior after a pair of early fouls limited junior Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) to just six minutes in the period.
 
Rowan shot 51 percent in the first 20 minutes and jumped out to a 17-10 lead. Junior Skylar Moore (Westfield, NJ/Hempstead) tipped in his own miss to give Rowan its largest lead. The Lions responded with a 9-2 run, capped by a Kevin Johnson (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) three-point field goal to even the score at 19. The score remained tied 32-32 at the intermission.
 
Following the break, Rowan took command of the contest, led by the play of Robinson. The Profs held a 53-42 advantage with 9:22 left in the game. TCNJ's Murdock, Jr. then got hot and scored eight of the Lions next 10 points. He sandwiched a pair of 3s around two free throws to draw within 58-52 at the 5:32 mark.
 
With under three minutes remaining and trailing 61-55, TCNJ forced a missed shot and Jayson Johnson grabbed the rebound. He pushed the ball down the floor and found Murdock, Jr. positioned in the corner. He hit him with a chest pass and the rookie guard found nothing but net to bring the crowd to its feet and force a Prof timeout.
 
Moments later and leading 63-60, Rowan's O'Connor hit a long jumper to extend the advantage to five points. Johnson slashed to the basket for a layup to close the gap to three points, but Daniel Waynick (East Windsor, NJ/Hightstown) dropped in a pair of free throws with 20 seconds remaining to ice the game.
 
TCNJ continues its conference schedule on Saturday when they visit New Jersey City University for a 7 p.m. contest. Rowan hosts Kean University at 6 p.m. on Saturday.