The No. 20 ranked TCNJ men’s basketball team began its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) season with an 85-68 win over William Paterson University at Packer Hall on Tuesday night.
Matthew Solomon led the Lions with a strong performance, scoring 20 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Jonathan Okocha was the game’s top scorer with 21 points, making five of his six three-point attempts. The victory keeps TCNJ unbeaten at home and gives William Paterson its first loss of the season.
Solomon started the game actively, hitting a three-pointer and scoring on a tip-in during an early run for TCNJ. William Paterson managed to keep the score close in the first part of the game, narrowing the gap to one point before Mason Mangione hit a three-pointer that sparked a larger run for TCNJ.
Additional three-pointers from David Alexandre and Okocha helped expand TCNJ’s lead. By halftime, Okocha’s shooting had given TCNJ their largest lead of the period at 41-24 before William Paterson reduced it slightly to 41-29.
After halftime, Solomon continued to play well, securing another double-double early in the second half. Nick Koch contributed with a baseline floater, while Daniel Yarus added free throws as TCNJ increased its lead to 56-35 just under four minutes into the half.
William Paterson briefly cut into the deficit, but Mangione responded with another three-pointer and Khalid Bakare scored back-to-back baskets to restore a wide margin for TCNJ. The Lions twice held leads of up to 25 points before William Paterson narrowed it in the final minutes.
Koch finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. “Koch passed Paul Brateris ’67 and moved into the all-time top-10 in scoring at TCNJ with 1,330 career points,” according to program records. “With six assists, Koch moved past P.J. Ringel ’21 and into third on the program’s career assists list with 295.”
TCNJ outrebounded William Paterson by a significant margin (53-34), collecting 19 offensive rebounds and generating more second-chance opportunities throughout the game.
For William Paterson, Jack Gobel led with 16 points while Ty’Shawn Pearson added 11 and Delani Hyde scored ten.
The Lions will next play Stockton in their NJAC road opener on Wednesday, December 3.
