JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The TCNJ men's basketball team found itself down 72-67 with less than a minute to go in its matchup against New Jersey City Saturday afternoon, but a 7-0 run capped off by a Jack Vreeswyk steal and score completed the improbable comeback and secured the Lions a 74-72 win on the road against a red-hot Gothic Knights team.
 
David Alexandre led TCNJ (12-4, 5-4 NJAC) for the second time in as many games with 17 points, followed closely by Vreeswyk (16) and Matthew Okorie (14) in another balanced scoring effort for the Lions. Matthew Solomon corralled a game and season-high 15 rebounds while Nick Koch racked up a team-best four assists in limited minutes.
 
Saturday's opening half was one of runs, with TCNJ opening the game on an 8-2 run – five of which came from Alexandre – before a 16-2 response from NJCU (11-5, 6-3 NJAC) shot the hosts in front, 18-10, with 13 minutes to go. The Lions got a pair of 3-point plays from Vreeswyk – one the old-fashioned way and another from beyond the arc – to trim the lead to three, but a cold spell over the ensuing two minutes allowed the Gothic Knights to build their advantage back to nine at 30-21.
 
Triples from Alexandre and Vreeswyk – the duo combined for 23 of TCNJ's 38 first-half points – as well as a 1-2 trip to the charity stripe from Solomon eventually leveled the game before a pair of freebies by the Gothic Knights' Brenden Kelly sent the hosts into the break up 40-38.
 
The Lions struggled early in the second half as both Koch and Alexandre battled foul trouble, with a 9-1 run halfway into the frame building NJCU's lead to its largest of the afternoon (12). Three straight buckets from Okorie kept the game from getting out of reach, with Vreeswyk's third three of the afternoon cutting it to just a two-point game with 6:28 to go.
 
TCNJ had been in a position to tie or take the lead several times in Saturday's second half, but were once again stymied by the Gothic Knights, who would outscore the Lions 8-5 over the next five minutes to hold what felt like a commanding 72-67 lead with 1:10 left. From there, however, it was TCNJ going on a 7-0 run of their own to complete the comeback and upset NJCU on its home floor.
 
Alexandre got things started with a tough and-one conversion to make it a two-point game. A stop on the other end put the ball back in the Lions' hands and this time it was Koch driving hard into the paint and hitting a layup to level things at 72. With just 17 seconds left, the Gothic Knights should have taken the last shot of the game to either end things or go to overtime, but instead it was Vreeswyk jumping a passing lane and scoring on the other end, with NJCU's heave at the buzzer bouncing off the rim to clinch the win in dramatic fashion.
 
STANDOUT LIONS

• Along with his game-winner, Vreeswyk finished with 16 points and five rebounds.
• Alexandre poured in 17 points to pair with three rebounds and two assists.
• Solomon was a beast on the boards, bringing in a season-best 15 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
• Okorie scored 13 of his 14 points in the second half.

FOR THE FOES

• Avante Gilbert had a game-high 18 points on 8-10 shooting to pair with seven rebounds.
• Jaheim Lewis narrowly missed out on a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
• Isaiah Johnson-Williams scored 14 points including two four-point plays.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ shot a season-low 38.4% from the field and 32% from deep while NJCU shot 44.6% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
• The Lions won the battle on the glass 46-35, resulting in advantages in both second-chance points (15-7) and points in the paint (38-28).
• TCNJ's 20 offensive rebounds are tied for the team's second most in a single game this season.

UP NEXT

• TCNJ is back in Packer Hall Wednesday, Jan. 22 to take on William Paterson. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.