WAYNE, N.J. – The TCNJ men's basketball team captured the New Jersey Athletic Conference regular-season title on Wednesday for the first time since 1997-98. TCNJ topped William Paterson by a final score of 87-76 to finish the regular season with a 14-4 conference record.
The win was the sixth in a row for the Lions and the 13
th in the last 15 games. TCNJ is the one seed in the upcoming conference tournament and has a first-round bye.
The Lions went on a 14-3 run in the second half to take control of the game. William Paterson cut the lead to 59-57 with 12:28 remaining.
Randall Walko got the run going with a fast break lay-up, then
Mike Walley scored a lay-up to push the lead to 63-57. After the Pioneers scored a three-point play, Walley hit from behind the arc to increase the edge to 67-60.
TCNJ played strong defense to compliment the efficient offense during the key run. Walko came up with a steal on the defensive end, then took it all the way for a lay-up. He was fouled and made the free throw to stretch the lead to 70-60.
Danny Bodine drilled a three-pointer to bump the lead to 13. The Pioneers recorded a pair of buckets to pull within nine, yet the Lions quickly pushed the lead back to 78-64.
Ryan Jensen knocked down a three-pointer, then Walko threw down a dunk to put the Lions ahead by 14 with five minutes left to play. TCNJ kept a comfortable lead on William Paterson down the stretch to capture the win.
Walko scored 23 points to lead the Lions. He also grabbed nine rebounds.
Travis Jocelyn added 19 points and six rebounds, while Jensen tallied 14 points. Bodine scored 13 points and shot 4-of-4 from the field, while
P.J. Ringel grabbed 11 rebounds.
After a 4-6 start to the season, the Lions caught fire and posted a 13-2 record down the stretch. The only two losses came at Ramapo and Rowan. TCNJ will look to continue its home court advantage in the conference tournament. The Lions are 9-1 at home. The lone defeat came in the first home game of the season, which was a narrow, 79-77, loss against Stockton. The Ospreys are the two seed in the NJAC tournament.
On Feb. 26, the Lions will host the winner of Rutgers-Newark and New Jersey City in the NJAC semifinals. The Scarlet Raiders and Gothic Knights will play on Feb. 22.
