EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ men's basketball team welcomed first-place Rowan into Packer Hall on Wednesday night, and the Lions lost to the Profs, 93-82. Rowan entered the game tied with New Jersey City for first place, and the Lions were tied with Montclair State a half-game behind those two teams.
 
Rowan led, 44-41, at the end of the first half despite the Lions outshooting the Profs, 50 percent to 42.1 percent, but 11 first-half turnovers translated into 16 points for the Profs off of those turnovers. Rowan also held a 24-14 lead in points in the paint.
 
The Profs opened the game with a 10-2 lead, but TCNJ climbed back to keep the first half within a possession or two. The Lions went on an 8-0 run to tie the score at 18. Randall Walko scored two buckets on the run, including a dunk to cap it. Joe Montano had a three pointer in that time with an assist from Walko. Walko, the league's leading scorer, had 19 points.
 
TCNJ took the lead later in the half. The Lions strung together seven straight points thanks to the efforts of Niall Carpenter. He scored all seven on the run, thanks to a three pointer, a pair of free throws and a layup with 4:27 remaining to make it 30-28 TCNJ. Carpenter finished with a season-high 26 points.
 
The game stayed within a possession for the rest of the half, changing leads a total of eight times in the first half. Mike Walley hit a three pointer to tie the score at 40 with 1:23 to play. He finished with 10 points.
 
The decisive stretch came in the first seven minutes of the second half. Rowan outscored the Lions, 24-10, to start the second half to open up its lead to 68-51 with 13:02 left in regulation. The Rowan lead grew to as many as 19 points late in the second half, 84-65.
 
TCNJ showed its fight by going on a 12-0 run to bring the deficit back into single digits. Walley hit a three pointer and added another bucket, Walko completed a three-point play and added another layup, and Carpenter also scored to make it 84-77 with 2:07 to play.
 
Rowan hit its free throws down the stretch, however, as it held off the furious rally as it never got into a two-possession game.
 
Ryan Jensen finished with a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
 
The Lions are back in action on Saturday afternoon at Montclair State. Tip-off for the men is scheduled for 1 p.m. as the opener of a doubleheader with the women's team.