EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ men's basketball team downed New Jersey City University on Wednesday night, 86-66. The win was the ninth straight home victory for TCNJ. The Lions are also 11-2 in their last 13 games.  

TCNJ (15-8, 12-4 NJAC) started the game with an 11-2 run. Randall Walko drilled a three-pointer to get the run started. On the next possession, Walko set up Tommy Egan who converted a lay-up. The Lions continued to attack the basket, as P.J. Ringel scored from in close, then Travis Jocelyn hit on a pair of lay-ups.

With seven minutes left in the first half, Jocelyn found Ryan Jensen down low with a nice pass. Jensen scored the bucket to push the Lions' lead to 32-20. The Gothic Knights recorded a couple of buckets to pull within 35-29 with 2:40 left in the first half. TCNJ took a 38-29 lead into the locker room.

As they have often this year, the Lions pulled away with a big second half run. Coming into today, TCNJ owned a second half scoring margin of 409-277 in home games. The Lions began the second half with a 15-4 run to take a 20-point lead. Egan got it going with a three-pointer. Walko scored on a lay-up then hit from three-point range to push the lead to 46-29.  The run was capped off by an acrobatic three-point play from Walko. He took it the distance and converted an off-balanced lay-up after a hard foul. Walko made the free throw to push TCNJ's lead to 53-33.

A pair of highlight reel dunks pushed the TCNJ lead to 66-44. The Lions broke the Gothic Knights' press and were set up with a breakaway. Mike Walley lobbed it to Danny Bodine, and Bodine threw down a thunderous dunk. On the next trip down the court, the Lions broke the press again, and Walley rose up for a dunk to extend the advantage to 22 with 12:10 to play.

The Lions continued to control the game down the stretch. Walko converted on a four-point play to bump the lead to 74-54 with 9:39 remaining. TCNJ did not look back in the final nine minutes to coast to the win.

Walko led the charge for the Lions with 31 points. Tonight marked his fifth 30-point game this season. He has also scored 20 points or more in 13 games this year. Walko is now one point away from tying Lou DiMato for eighth place all-time in scoring in TCNJ history.

Jocelyn scored 13 points on the night, while Jensen tallied nine points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots. Egan totaled eight points and six boards. Ringel recorded seven points, seven assists, and five rebounds.

TCNJ remains tied for first place in the conference standings with Stockton. There are only two games left on the schedule for all NJAC teams. The Lions will return to action at Kean on Feb. 15.