CAMDEN, N.J. – The TCNJ men's basketball team put on a historic defensive masterclass in a 63-38 shutdown of Rutgers-Camden on the road on Wednesday night.
 
The Lions (16-5, 9-5) completed the season sweep with a defensive effort for the ages, stymieing the Scarlet Raptors to the tune of 28.1-percent shooting overall (16-for-57) and a 2-for-26 freeze from 3-point range. TCNJ allowed its lowest single-game opponent point total since a 62-36 victory over Huntingdon on November 26, 2006, and may have set a program record for points conceded in an NJAC contest.
 
Matthew Solomon put up a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double to lead the way for the blue and gold, while Nick Koch and Matthew Okorie paced the pride with 13 points apiece.
 
TCNJ trailed by one point twice in the early going, the last at 6-5 about five minutes after tip-off. A basket by Solomon made it 8-6 and was part of a 6-0 run over the next nearly five minutes, and the Lions really cranked up the defense at the 10-minute mark of the period.
 
Leading 14-11, TCNJ ended the first half on a 19-4 run, getting eight points from Okorie and buckets from five different players in taking total control.
 
Solomon had a dunk and Koch poured in consecutive field goals to cap an 11-0 run to open the second half, giving the Lions an extended 30-4 run and a 44-15 advantage with 15:27 to go. Rutgers-Camden got the lead under 20 just once, at 47-28 near the midway point of the stanza, before the visitors ultimately built it back up to 31 (61-30) with 5:34 to go.
 
FOR THE FOES

• Cameron Downs had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Cherif Kanoute added 10 points of his own

STANDOUT LIONS

• Solomon was 5-of-8 from the field
• Okorie had 13 points and six rebounds on 4-of-8 from the field
• David Alexandre chipped in 10 points and Jonathan Okocha tallied nine

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• In addition to its defensive dominance, the Lions outrebounded the Scarlet Raptors, 49-37, and held a 16-4 advantage in second-chance points
• TCNJ was just 6-of-23 from 3-point range (26.1 percent), but it hardly mattered thanks to its performance on the other end

NOTES

• TCNJ has won 21 straight games in the series, and have held Camden under 50 points five times in that span
• Solomon posted his 8^th double-double of the year and 23^rd of his career, and his 16 boards marked a new season high

PLAYOFF PUSH

• The Lions moved into a 4-way tie for 3^rd place in the NJAC at 9-5, one game behind Montclair State and two behind Stockton

UP NEXT

• TCNJ hosts Rutgers-Newark on Saturday