EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ men's basketball team was forced to suffer through some anxious moments after a big second-half comeback by William Paterson, but the Lions came up with a sequence of clutch offensive sets to fend off the feisty visitors by an 84-77 count on Saturday afternoon in Packer.

Matthew Solomon matched his career high with 13 points, including the go-ahead three-point play with 2:31 to play, and hauled in a career-best 12 rebounds for his first double-double as the Lions (8-14, 7-8) polished off a season sweep of the Pioneers. Pat Higgins poured in a season-best 21 points and Danny Bodine went for 20, highlighted by a jaw-dropping alley-oop slam towards the end of the first half.

TCNJ never trailed and led for all but a minute and change after the opening tip, but had to make a handful of game-saving plays after letting a 17-point lead slip away in the second half. After the Pioneers (9-13, 3-12) stormed all the way back to knot the contest at 73, Solomon slipped a screen and finished a pinpoint feed from DiCaro through contact to put the home side back on top for good. After a defensive stop, Bodine swished a baby hook in the lane to extend the lead to five with 1:47 to play, and WPU got no closer than four the rest of the way.

Leading by two in the early going, TCNJ quickly extended the spread to double digits as DiCaro and Jason Larranaga splashed 3-pointers on consecutive possessions and Higgins scored on a spin move inside with exactly six minutes gone.

The margin shuffled between six and 10 for much of the half until TCNJ finished the frame with a flourish, punctuated by a lob from Higgins to Bodine. The fifth-year forward posterized his defender and slammed the ball home through the contact, forcing several teammates to put their hands on their heads in shock. The bucket made it a 14-point lead, and Larranaga's long heave to Higgins for a buzzer-beating layup gifted TCNJ a 43-29 lead at the break.

The slam was one of several on the day for TCNJ, which went ahead 53-36 on a layup inside by Jim Clemente with 14:25 remaining.

Seemingly in full control, the Pioneers made a surprising comeback and twice pulled even with the Lions, the first at 70-all with 4:00 to go. DiCaro's free throw gave TCNJ the lead again, and Higgins converted a fast-break layup after a crucial deflection by Larranaga to make it 73-70.

WPU answered with a tying triple before Solomon's bucket gave the Lions the upper hand for good.

Adryan Lopez (23 points) and Shawn Summers Jr. (20) paced the Pioneers, who shot 57.6 percent in the second half (19-for-33).

Higgins continued his recent run of fine form, shooting 7-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the line to hit double figures for the eighth straight game. He also dished out six assists for the second game in a row to match his season high.

Bodine was terrific, going 6-for-9 from the field and 7-of-8 at the foul line to land one point shy of his season benchmark. DiCaro had 11 points and six assists, while Larranaga stuffed the box score with nine points, five rebounds, and five assists.

Solomon's interior dominance helped TCNJ to a 40-24 advantage on the glass over the undersized Pioneers. Thirteen minutes into the game, Solomon had more rebounds (7) than the entire WPU team (6). Clemente grabbed seven caroms in 12 minutes of action.

TCNJ shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) overall and was a sizzling 84.0 percent at the line (21-of-25), a critical stat in a game that went down to the wire.

The Lions head to Stockton on Wednesday night.