GLASSBORO, N.J. – The TCNJ men's basketball team used a big first half to defeat Rowan, 79-75, in NJAC play on Wednesday night. Rowan entered the game with an unbeaten 4-0 overall record, and the Profs had scored at least 86 points in each of their first four games.
The Lions (2-3, 1-1) earned the victory with a strong first half performance. The Lions outshot the Profs from the field, 42.1 percent to 27.8 percent in the first half to take a 43-26 lead into the intermission.
Randall Walko led the Lions with 15 points in the first half on his way to a team-high 19 for the game. He led five TCNJ players in double figures.
Rowan (4-1, 1-1) turned what looked to be a blowout loss into a competitive game in the second half. After
Jordan Glover hit a three for TCNJ with 8:10 remaining to give the Lions a 64-48 lead, it looked like the rout was on for TCNJ. Rowan, however, fought back with an 11-0 run that extended into an 18-4 run to cut the TCNJ lead to 68-66 with 2:43 left in regulation.
A three-point play for Rowan cut it to 70-69 TCNJ, but
Ryan Jensen hit two free throws to extend the lead back to three with 1:02 remaining. After an empty Rowan possession, the Lions made their free throws to keep the game in two-possession territory until the final seconds. Leading 78-75, the Lions turned the ball over on an inbounds pass with 10 seconds left, but Rowan went for a layup instead of a three, which it missed.
The Lions broke open the game in the last 5:03 of the first half.
Travis Jocelyn kick-started the run with a put-back layup after a Walko miss from three-point range. That gave the Lions a 29-21 lead. Walko followed with a three pointer and Glover's layup pushed the Lions' lead to 34-23 with 3:07 left in the half.
Nick DiPersia hit a layup for Rowan with 2:56 left to make it 34-25, but that was the Profs' last field goal of the half. Walko and
Niall Carpenter hit threes around a Rowan free throw to extend the Lions' lead to 40-26 with 1:13 to play in the first. Carpenter finished the run with a layup to send the Lions into the intermission with their largest lead of the game to that point, 43-26.
TCNJ held firm on a double-digit lead for most of the second half until Rowan made its run late.
P.J. Ringel (11 points), Glover (17), Jensen (12) and Carpenter (12) all joined Walko in double figures. Carpenter led the team with eight rebounds.
The Lions return home to face Rutgers-Newark on Saturday at 3 p.m.
