Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey men's basketball team put a stamp on its perfect 12-0 regular season home record as they defeated Rutgers-Newark 68-55 in the regular season finale in Packer Hall on Wednesday night.
 
The Lions (18-7, 14-4 NJAC) will now shift their focus to the 2017 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. With their second-place finish in the regular season, TCNJ earned a first-round bye this Saturday and will take on the winner of the #3 New Jersey City University vs. #6 Stockton University. That semifinal game will be played in Packer Hall next Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
 
Senior Corey Stanford (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Trafford) put forth a tremendous effort with 22 points and seven rebounds. With starting forward Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) and starting guard Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater) out of the line-up for the night, Stanford came up big in critical moments to ensure a perfect mark in the Lions' home building. Junior Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) also played a key role in the win with eight points and 10 boards. Sophomore Joe Montano (Eatontown, NJ/Red Bank Catholic) added 13 points in the win.
 
The Scarlet Raiders (7-18, 6-12 NJAC) hung tough throughout the night. They were down just four points with seven minutes to play, but TCNJ finally pulled away with a 13-2 run capped by a Stanford lay-up with 2:36 remaining.
 
The Lions did not rely on their three-point shooting to garner the victory. They struck from downtown just three times in the game, but converted 21-of-24 free throws (87 percent) and took care of the basketball to secure the conference triumph.
 
Scarlet Raider Mark Thomas matched Stanford with 22 points and Chase Barneys also reached double figures with 10 points.
 
TCNJ senior Eric Klacik (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge) chipped in with nine points and classmate Kevin Johnson (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) finished with seven points. Sophomore Jordan Glover (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence) was 3-for-3 from the field and grabbed five rebounds.
 
In the other quarterfinal match-up, #4 Rowan University will host #5 Stockton University. The winner of that game will travel to top-seeded Ramapo College on Tuesday night. The championship game is slated for next Friday night at 7 p.m. at the highest remaining seed.