Ewing, N.J. … The College of New Jersey men's basketball team took on Kean University in a New Jersey Athletic Conference matchup this afternoon and came away with a 77-43 victory. TCNJ improves to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in NJAC play.

The Lions took an early 9-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game on two three-pointers by Liam Byrne (Middletown, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) and a three by Jordan Glover (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence).

TCNJ was hot from behind the arc as they sunk five three-pointers in the first seven minutes of play to take the 15-2 lead and they never looked back.

Going into halftime, the Lions held a 35-14 lead.

Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) opened scoring in the second half with a three pointer as TCNJ continued to grow their lead.

The Lions held the Cougars from making an attempt at a comeback and secured the 77-43 victory for their third NJAC win.

Murdock Jr. reached a milestone during the victory, as he registered his 100th career steal. He ended the game with two steals and nine points.

The offense was well distributed for the Lions, with 15 players contributing to the score. Leading the offense for TCNJ was Corey Stanford (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Trafford) with 13 points. On the defensive side Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) led in rebounds with nine, while Stanford, Randy Walko (Somerville, NJ/Somerville), and Ryan Jensen (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) all recorded six boards.

TCNJ ended the game shooting 47.2 percent on field goals and 40.5 percent from behind the arc.

The Lions are back on the court on Monday when they take on Delaware Valley. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tip off in Packer Hall following the women's basketball game.