UNION, NJ - The 15th-ranked TCNJ men's basketball team used a near-perfect first half to carry an 11-point lead into halftime in its NJAC matchup against Kean Saturday afternoon, but were outscored 17-4 in the game's final six minutes en route to suffering an 82-77 loss on the road.
The first half of Saturday's game was all Lions, with a 3-point barrage eight minutes into the frame putting TCNJ (6-2, 1-2 NJAC) firmly in the driver's seat. In front 21-14 following a David Alexandre jumper, back-to-back triples from Jack Vreeswyk were the first of four straight 3-pointers hit by the Lions to take a commanding 33-17 advantage 10 minutes in.
TCNJ's red-hot offense – which had yet to miss a shot going a perfect 13-13 from the field and 6-6 from deep – stalled from there as turnovers began to plague the Lions. After scoring 33 points in the opening 10 minutes, TCNJ was held to just 11 on 3-14 shooting in the next 10, with a 4-0 burst by the Cougars (3-5, 2-1 NJAC) to end the half cutting the lead to 11 at 44-33 entering the break.
Matthew Okorie and Matthew Solomon got the second half started for the Lions before Nick Koch began to take over in an attempt to put the game out of reach. Held to just six points in the first half, the junior showed off his ability to score at all three levels, pouring in 12 points in the opening eight minutes to keep TCNJ in front 62-49. A Solomon triple on the ensuing possession built the lead to 14 before Kean began its climb back with 11:45 to go.
Having struggled from deep to that point – the Cougars were just 8-22 prior to the late-game run – Kean started to force its way inside. The Cougars scored their next four buckets in the paint – a stretch in which they also corralled three of the team's 17 offensive rebounds – before a wide open triple from D.J. Alicea gave Kean its first lead of the game at 75-73 with just over three minutes to go.Â
The sides traded free throws before an offensive board and put back from Okorie leveled things at 77, but it was the Cougars' Adam Silas hitting a contested three with just 19 seconds left to give Kean a lead they would hold the rest of the way, with free throws resulting in the 82-77 final.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Despite the loss, TCNJ finished with its second-highest shooting percentage of the season. The Lions shot 53% for the game, largely aided by their 13-13 start.
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Koch led all scorers with 22 points while shooting an efficient 57% from the field. The junior has scored in double figures in all eight games to start the season, averaging 21.3 points on 52% shooting.
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Joining Koch in double figures were Okorie (13), Alexandre (12) and Solomon (11). Koch, Alexandre and Solomon also shared the team-lead in assists with five apiece.
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Doing much of the dirty work for TCNJ was Anthony Milligan, who finished with team-high marks in both rebounds (7) and steals (3) in just 13 minutes.
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This was the first time the Lions had been outrebounded in a game this season, with the Cougars holding a 36-28 advantage on the boards including a 17-8 margin on the offensive glass.
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