Matthew Solomon reached a career milestone on Saturday, becoming the 27th player in The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) men’s basketball history to score over 1,000 points. The achievement came during TCNJ’s 87-59 victory against Rutgers-Newark at Packer Hall.
Solomon scored his 1,000th point early in the first half with a baby hook shot, part of his 17-point and 10-rebound performance. This double-double also allowed him to move into third place on TCNJ’s all-time rebounding list, surpassing Bobby Brackett. With 846 career rebounds, Solomon currently has the most among active Division III players.
The Lions started strong with an 8-0 run and continued to dominate throughout the game. After Solomon secured his milestone, TCNJ went on a 12-0 run that put Rutgers-Newark at a significant disadvantage. Anthony Milligan contributed to another surge with a three-pointer, helping TCNJ build a commanding lead by halftime.
Nick Koch led all scorers with 23 points and added seven assists. Other notable performances included David Alexandre with 12 points and Khalid Bakare contributing six points and six rebounds. Jonathan Okocha is now one three-pointer away from reaching 100 for his career.
Rutgers-Newark was led by Will Ndio (15 points), Raheem Murray (13), Ayden Brown (12), and Zakhai Sylvester (10). Despite their efforts, Newark struggled offensively and remained winless in conference play.
TCNJ outshot Rutgers-Newark by making over half of its field goal attempts and outrebounded them by a margin of fifteen. The Lions have now won four consecutive games against Rutgers-Newark, marking their second-longest winning streak in the series’ history.
Looking ahead, TCNJ will face No. 10 Montclair State in an upcoming conference matchup.
