EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ men's basketball team put all five starters in double figures and dominated the boards in a 93-76 victory over William Paterson inside Packer Hall on Saturday.
Nick Koch scored 18 of his game-high 21 points after halftime to supplement double-doubles from
Matthew Solomon (14 points, 14 rebounds) and
Matthew Okorie (14 points, 11 rebounds) for the Lions (13-4, 6-4), who completed the season sweep of the Pioneers to kick off the second half of the NJAC slate.
TCNJ was relentless on the glass, gobbling up 24 offensive boards as part of a 56-27 rebounding surplus. The Lions tallied up 46 points in the paint and 27 second-chance points, all season highs, and retrieved more than half of their missed shots.
The lopsided margin belied an entertaining back-and-forth start in which the lead changed hands 10 times in the first eight minutes and change. Trailing 16-15, the hosts charged ahead for good with a 10-0 run featuring a 3-pointer by Solomon and a tough bucket from
Daniel Yarus.
Later in the half, Solomon super-charged an 8-0 burst with a thunderous jam followed by a triple from
Anthony Milligan and a bucket by
Jonathan Okocha that put the home side up 36-21 at the 2:48 mark.
WPU got within 10 at the break (41-31), but Koch took over after intermission. He scored the team's first six points of the second half, igniting an 11-2 run to open the frame.
Khalid Bakare sandwiched a pair of baskets, one of them a tip-in, around a close finish by Milligan to push the lead out to 67-41 with 11:33 to go.
The Pioneers got as close as 12 (76-64) with 5:32 remaining before TCNJ put the game away with a 12-2 run over the next two minutes and change. Koch assisted on a pair of Solomon baskets, including another dunk, around his own three-point play, and Okorie's trey on an assist from Koch made it 88-66 at the 3:12 mark. WPU eventually got the final margin down to 17.
FOR THE FOES
- Andre Wells had 17 points, eight assists, and five rebounds
- Jianni Moran matched Wells with 17 points, including five second-half 3-pointers
- Neftali Valentin and Shane Geene each tallied 11 points
STANDOUT LIONS
- Koch paired seven assists with his game-high 21 points
- Okorie (7) and Solomon (5) combined for a dozen offensive rebounds between them
- Okocha and David Alexandre finished with 12 points apiece
- Milligan had eight points and five boards off the bench
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions' rebounding prowess was staggering. TCNJ nearly had as many offensive rebounds (24) as the Pioneers' total rebounds (27)
- The Lions pulled in 24 of their 44 misses on the night, and had 16 offensive rebounds in the first half alone
- TCNJ shot 52.8 percent in the second half (19-of-36)
NOTES
- Solomon registered his 21st career double-double, while Okorie's was his seventh
- TCNJ's 56 total rebounds was its highest single-game total since grabbing 58 against Lehman on November 15, 2009; the 24 offensive boards were the most since accumulating 30 against New York City Tech on December 13, 2004
- The Lions have won 10 straight over WPU
UP NEXT
- TCNJ stays at home to take on Kean on Saturday
