EWING, N.J. – It took the TCNJ men's basketball team a little while to get going in the opener of its tip-off tournament. Once the Lions found their groove, it was smooth sailing.

The well-balanced Lions bounced back from a season-opening setback at Salisbury with a strong effort, shooting over 50 percent from the field in the second half and separating from visiting Saint Elizabeth for a 73-49 victory inside a mostly packed Packer Hall. TCNJ will take on Drew, a 73-68 winner over York (Pa.) in the nightcap, in Saturday's championship. 

Justin Carbone carried the load early and Anthony DiCaro got hot late for the Lions (1-1), who extended their regular-season home winning streak to 13 games.

Carbone scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the first half, including back-to-back treys to cap a 22-8 run after the Eagles had enjoyed an early 11-10 lead. Saint Elizabeth (0-2) pulled back to within five (34-29) on the strength of a 10-2 spurt bridging halftime, but DiCaro turned the tide with an individual flourish, finishing a feed from Jim Clemente and stepping in front of a pass for a breakaway lay-up on the ensuing possession.

Jason Larranaga scored on a steal of his own before DiCaro fed him for a layup to polish off a 10-0 TCNJ rally and stretch the margin to 44-29 at the 14:33 mark after the Eagles had gotten to within five. DiCaro then connected on a pair of deep triples, the second of which gave the Lions a 54-33 margin as the hosts continued to put their stamp on the second half.

Danny Bodine buried a left-wing 3-pointer and converted a put-back on consecutive possessions to make it 68-48 with 3:57 to go, a fitting offensive reward for a dynamic performance that left the Eagles grasping on both ends of the floor. Bodine narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds and stuffed the stat sheet with three assists, two blocks, a steal, and a bevy of altered shots at the rim.

Clemente (eight rebounds) helped Bodine and company secure a massive 50-26 advantage on the glass; the Lions piled up 38 points in the paint to just 12 for Saint Elizabeth.

Jacob Hopping paired 11 points with five rebounds in an impressive Packer Hall opener, while Larranaga made four of his five shot attempts and finished with nine points and five boards.

DiCaro was 6-of-10 overall and 4-for-7 from distance, also racking up five steals and a team-best four assists.

Jack Vreeswyck banged home a 3-pointer in the closing stages for his first career points, and Matthew Okorie collected five rebounds in his first home appearance.

The Lions thrilled the home crowd with a range of highlight-reel moments, including an NBA-range triple by DiCaro and a ferocious dunk by Bodine, who slipped a screen and cut to the rack for a high-flyin jam on a nice pass from DiCaro. Bodine later set up Naysean Burch for a slam of his own in the second half.