The TCNJ men’s basketball team secured a 73-62 win over New Jersey City University (NJCU) during Senior Day at Packer Hall on Saturday. The victory came after the Lions overcame a slow start, trailing by nine points early in the game before regaining control in the second half.
Nick Koch led TCNJ with 20 points and six assists, starting alongside fellow seniors Matthew Solomon, Jonathan Okocha, Andrew Kaminski, and Anthony Milligan. “Koch became the 7th player in program history to eclipse 1,500 career points, ultimately moving past Kevin Ryan (1986-90) and into 6th all-time with 1,519 markers,” according to the team.
After missing their first seven shots and falling behind 9-0, TCNJ responded with a three-pointer from Khalid Bakare and two quick baskets from Koch. NJCU briefly extended its lead to 19-10 before TCNJ went on a decisive 20-3 run. Lucas Dipasupil contributed with a deep three-pointer and a put-back basket to help give TCNJ its first lead of the game. Okocha’s three-pointer made it 23-22 at the midway point of the first half.
The Lions finished the first half ahead 32-27 after trading three-pointers between Dipasupil and Milligan. In the second half, Solomon scored on a pick-and-roll play and assisted Okocha for another three-pointer to extend TCNJ’s advantage.
TCNJ reached its first double-digit lead at 49-39 following a rebound by Daniel Yarus and an assist to Mason Mangione for a three-pointer. The Lions maintained their momentum as Yarus assisted Solomon for a layup, followed by Dipasupil’s steal and fast-break lay-in.
A late three-pointer from Yarus pushed the score to 64-51 with just over five minutes left. Koch added a three-point play shortly after to make it 67-53, helping secure the win.
TCNJ shot 42.6 percent from the field and made twelve three-pointers compared to NJCU’s two. Both teams had an equal number of rebounds (36 each), but TCNJ committed fewer turnovers than NJCU—12 versus 16—against an opponent ranked nationally for turnovers forced.
Bakhi Rogers-Robinson led NJCU with 23 points while Donovan Crawford recorded a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds.
Other notable performances for TCNJ included Okocha’s eleven points on three made threes; Solomon’s nine points, eleven rebounds, three assists, and season-high three blocks; Dipasupil’s ten points; Bakare’s seven points; and Yarus’ seven points.
Additional milestones were reached during this game: “Solomon moved into the all-time top-10 in assists (251); he joins Jimmy Glover (1987-90) as the only players in TCNJ history with more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 250 assists in a career.” Saturday also marked Solomon’s hundredth career game. Okocha became just the fifteenth player in school history with at least one hundred career three-pointers.
Kaminski started his first career game while Milligan made his second start. With this result, TCNJ has now won six consecutive games against NJCU.
The Lions are scheduled to play next on Wednesday against William Paterson University.
