Nick Koch scored a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer, leading The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) men’s basketball team to an 84-82 double-overtime win over Stockton University on Wednesday night. The game, held at Packer Hall in Ewing, New Jersey, featured 15 lead changes and was critical for both teams, who entered the matchup tied for second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) standings.
Koch’s last-second shot capped his career-high sixth three-pointer of the night and gave him a game-high 33 points after playing 49 minutes. Senior Matthew Solomon contributed significantly with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists while playing the entire game. TCNJ’s victory put them alone in second place in the NJAC.
Stockton had taken an 82-81 lead with under ten seconds left in double overtime before Koch’s decisive shot. Earlier in double overtime, Justin Harper from Stockton broke a tie with a four-point play, but TCNJ quickly responded through Koch and David Alexandre. First-year player Mason Mangione then made one of two free throws to give TCNJ a brief lead before Stockton regained it with Eriq Campbell’s layup.
Regulation ended dramatically as well. With less than a second remaining and TCNJ trailing by one point, Solomon was fouled on a turnaround jumper. He made the first free throw to tie but missed the second, sending the game into overtime.
Throughout the contest, both teams traded leads frequently. In addition to Koch and Solomon’s performances, Alexandre added 13 points for TCNJ. Together they accounted for most of their team’s scoring output.
TCNJ shot 38 percent from the field and made 15 three-pointers out of 45 attempts. Stockton finished with slightly better shooting percentages overall but committed twice as many turnovers as TCNJ (16 to eight). Stockton also controlled rebounding (56-41 advantage) and points in the paint (40-28).
For Stockton, Harper recorded a double-double with 30 points and ten rebounds. Gaither scored 16 points while Campbell collected a game-high fifteen rebounds.
The Lions improved their home record to seven wins and one loss this season and ended a three-game losing streak against Stockton. On this night, Koch was recognized for reaching his 1,500th career point; his final basket brought his total to an even 1,600 career points.
Solomon now has registered three consecutive double-doubles and six in his last seven games; he has accumulated thirty-six such performances during his time at TCNJ. Alexandre reached exactly seven hundred career points following this contest.
TCNJ will next play Ramapo on Saturday at 1 p.m., continuing their NJAC schedule.
