The TCNJ men’s basketball team secured a 76-66 win over Denison at the Jay Bilas Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday night. The victory improves the Lions’ record to 8-3 and marks an important result against a Denison squad ranked 24th in the NPI.
Senior Nick Koch led TCNJ with a season-high 33 points, playing all 40 minutes of the game. He also contributed seven rebounds and seven assists. Koch’s performance helped the Lions maintain control throughout the contest. “Koch finished 10-for-21 from the field, including 4-of-8 from long range, and made 9-of-10 from the line,” according to team statistics.
TCNJ took an early lead after Koch scored on consecutive possessions and continued to answer Denison baskets with key plays. Jonathan Okocha added support with a transition layup that extended TCNJ’s lead to eight points midway through the first half. After Denison narrowed the gap, Okocha hit a three-pointer before halftime, giving TCNJ a nine-point advantage at intermission.
Early in the second half, TCNJ used a 9-2 run—highlighted by another Okocha three-pointer—to build its largest lead at 48-32. Denison responded with a run of its own but was unable to close the deficit as Koch assisted Mason Mangione for a crucial three-pointer and Matthew Solomon for a dunk.
Denison came within five points late in the game before Koch again answered with key baskets down the stretch. Khalid Bakare contributed with free throws and inside scoring to help secure the win.
Statistically, TCNJ shot just under 40 percent from the field and converted eight three-pointers while making over 78 percent of their free throws. Although they were outrebounded by Denison (47-35), they committed only seven turnovers and capitalized on Denison’s mistakes by scoring 18 points off turnovers.
Owen Giannoulias led Denison with 20 points while Kellon Smith added ten points and nine rebounds.
Additional standout performances for TCNJ included Okocha’s 17 points and eight rebounds; Bakare’s ten points and eight boards; and Solomon’s eight points along with five rebounds.
This matchup marked the first-ever meeting between TCNJ and Denison men’s basketball programs. The win is significant for TCNJ’s postseason prospects; D3Datacast projects that their NCAA at-large chances increased by seven percent following this result due to defeating an experienced opponent returning multiple starters from last year’s NCAA tournament team.
With his performance, Koch moved into eighth place on TCNJ’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Lou LiMato (1,398) and Ralph Brateris (1,416), now totaling 1,418 career points. Solomon tied Jimmy Glover (1987–90) for fourth place in program history with his 811th career rebound.
TCNJ will face No.7 Emory next at the Jay Bilas Classic in Charlotte tomorrow at 5 p.m.
