Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's basketball team suffered a tough 81-76 defeat to William Paterson University in New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
 
It was a wild one in Packer Hall. A combined total of 40 fouls, 12 lead changes, and 21 three-point field goals checkered a high-octane display of basketball. The Lions (9-6, 5-4 NJAC) battled hard all game, but the Pioneers (9-7, 4-5 NJAC) staved off a late run to secure their ninth win of the season.
 
Junior Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) led TCNJ with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Sophomore Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) finished with 16 points and six assists, while freshman Jordan Glover (Lawrence, NJ/Lawrence) produced another strong effort with 14 points, five rebounds, and a blocked shot.
 
WPU was led by senior Bright Mensah (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack), who led all scorers with 33 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Junior forward Richy Espinal (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) had a big second half and tallied 22 points, while grabbing nine boards.  
 
The game started slowly for both offenses. After Murdock, Jr. drained his first shot of the game from behind the arc, the Lions got cold from long distance and missed eight straight. Despite their shooting struggles, they still held a 11-10 at the midpoint of the half thanks to effective defensive play.
 
The Pioneers got their engine going and took a 17-13 advantage off a Mensah jumper. Murdock, Jr. eventually stopped the bleeding when he dropped in his second trey of the half to pull within a point with 9:00 remaining.
 
Trailing 23-18, the Lions erupted offensively and surged to a 16-5 run. Murdock, Jr., Klacik, Glover, and sophomore Kevin Johnson (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) each connected from long distance.
 
The Pioneers battled to even the score at 37 by the break, largely due to the play of Mensah. He racked up 24 points in 15 minutes on 8-of-12 shooting.
 
Espinal came out red hot in the second period. He hit four straight jumpers including a three-point field goal and the Pioneers opened up a 53-43 advantage five minutes in under five minutes. WPU maintained control, but the Lions received a big lift when Mensah was whistled for his fifth foul of the game with 8:05 remaining.
 
The Lions slowly ate away at the deficit and cut it to one point when Klacik fought through traffic to drop in a layup. A pair of Murdock, Jr. free throws gave TCNJ its first lead of the half at 70-69.
 
The Pioneers regained the lead, but a put-back by Glover tied the game at 76. A reverse layup by Manny Hernandez (Paterson, NJ/Paramus Catholic) put the Pioneers back up 78-76 before Joseph Taylor (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) hit two foul shots. Espinal drained another  free throw in the final seconds to put the game out of reach.
 
The Lions will play their third straight home contest this Monday night when they host Baruch College at 7 p.m. in Packer Hall.