EWING, N.J. – Clutch free throws and a final defensive stand were just enough for the TCNJ men's basketball team to outlast Rowan, 80-77, in an NJAC thriller on Wednesday night inside Packer Hall.
 
Nick Koch scored a game-high 32 points – including the go-ahead free throws with 35.6 seconds to play – to help the Lions (18-5, 13-3) extend their winning streak to eight games. They had to earn it.
 
TCNJ went a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line in the final two minutes, giving the blue and gold just enough separation to fend off a red-hot Profs squad in a chaotic finish that featured six lead changes in the final 1:51. After Koch's go-ahead foul shots, the Lions got a stop on the defensive end and two more free throws from Jonathan Okocha with 15.2 ticks showing on the clock.
 
The Lions thought they had the game won when CJ Hayes was long on a potential tying 3, but David Alexandre was called for a travel with 1.3 seconds left, giving Rowan (9-14, 9-7) one last chance. Brycen Williams got a clean look from the right wing, but his would-be equalizer bounced harmlessly off the rim.

The win, combined with Stockton's loss at Rutgers-Camden, gives the Lions the No. 2 seed and a bye in the NJAC Tournament. TCNJ will host a conference semifinal in Packer Hall on Wednesday, February 25. 
 
Matthew Solomon put in another workmanlike performance, coupling 19 points with 14 rebounds for his seventh consecutive double-double. He and Koch continued their assault upon the TCNJ record books, with Solomon jumping into second on the all-time rebounding list (967) and Koch moving into a tie for second in career assists (383).
 
The Lions (18-5, 13-3) blitzed the visitors right out of the gates, opening the game on a 13-0 run behind six points from Koch, whose driving basket plus a foul made it 9-0 just over 2-and-a-half minutes into the contest.
 
TCNJ's defense was on full display in the early going as Rowan missed its first five shots and committed four turnovers before finally denting the scoreboard at the 14:42 mark of the period.
 
The blue and gold continued to expand its lead with long-range marksmanship, getting 3-pointers from David Alexandre and Mason Mangione on back-to-back possessions to surge to a 25-9 advantage just shy of the first-half midway point.
 
The Profs gradually found their footing, however, slipping under the double-digit spread on multiple occasions before closing the half on a 6-1 run to go into the break down 42-34.
 
Solomon was on the offensive after the break, scoring on a baby hook and a put-back to open the period and put TCNJ up 46-36. Solomon's short hook and Koch's steal and lay-in capped an 8-0 run and made it a 13-point game (54-41) with 14:39 to go.
 
The Profs kept chipping away, however, using a 14-2 run to get within 56-55 just shy of the 9-minute mark. Koch was there to stop the bleeding, hitting a pair of free throws and backing up into a 3 off a Solomon screen to give the Lions a 61-56 edge.
 
The lead remained at five after Solomon grabbed two offensive rebounds and put back his own miss to make it 72-67 with 3:12 remaining, but the Profs reeled off six straight points – four of them off TCNJ turnovers – to grab their first lead of the night (73-72) with 1:51 left.
 
It was mostly a free-throw contest from there, and the Lions did not miss. Okocha and Alexandre each hit two around a Rowan jumper, but the Profs went in front for the last time at 77-76 on two Taz Cantey free throws with 44.2 ticks showing. Koch then forced the issue and drew a foul on a drive, calmly sinking both to put TCNJ in front for good.
 
Solomon walled up on a Michael Pirone drive and Okocha grabbed the board, connecting on a pair after he was fouled to make it 80-77. Rowan nearly threw the ball away before saving possession and calling a timeout with 5.0 seconds to go, but the Profs misfired on two triples that would have tied the game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ shot an even 50.0 percent from the field (27-for-54), 31.3 percent from 3-point land (5-for-16), and 75.0 percent at the foul line (21-for-28)
• Rowan shot 47.5 percent from the field (29-for-61), 35.0 percent from 3-point range (7-for-20), and 70.6 percent at the foul line (12-for-17)
• TCNJ held a 37-29 advantage on the glass and scored 11 second-chance points to Rowan's six
• The Lions turned it over 16 times compared to the Profs' 12

FOR THE FOES

• Cantey paced the Profs with 24 points
• Hayes finished with 18 on just nine shots (6-for-9)
• Khalil Baker (14) and Brycen Williams (11) also reached double figures

STANDOUT LIONS

• Koch was nearly unstoppable in the first half, scoring 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and getting to the line (5-of-7) with regularity; he finished 10-of-18 from the field and 10-for-14 at the free-throw line
• Solomon was 9-of-16 from the field and corralled four offensive rebounds
• Alexandre had eight of his 12 points in the first half and added five assists
• Khalid Bakare was effective inside with seven points and eight boards

NOTES

• Already in 2^nd on the all-time scoring list, Koch netted 30-plus points for the third straight game to up his career tally to 1,727
• Koch is now tied with Sean Covington '99 for 2^nd in program history with 383 career assists
• Solomon moved past Scott Findlay '06 and into 2^nd all-time with 967 rebounds and counting; he is now 31 shy of Don Nolan's program record of 998
• Solomon's double-double, his 10th in the last 11 games, was the 40th of his career
• TCNJ has won five in a row against Rowan for the first time this century

UP NEXT

• The Lions head to New Jersey City on Saturday for their final road game of the season