Ewing, NJ…The College of New Jersey men’s basketball team hosted the Bengals of Buffalo State College on Monday night in the Lions’ home opener of the 2008 half of the season. TCNJ would run away with the game and tally an 80-68 victory as the team had five different players finish in double-scoring figures, while senior guard Jeff Warner (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) added his second straight a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. TCNJ is now 4-6 overall, while Buffalo State drops to 3-5 on the year.
TCNJ would take a 41-37 halftime lead into the locker room as senior forward Mark Aziz (Hackettstown, NJ/West Morris Central) and sophomore guard William Jett (Browns Mills, NJ/Pemberton) paced the team with 10 points each in the first half, while holding a narrow 17-16 edge on the boards. Aziz added a game and team-high 18 points for the Lions, while Jett tied his career-best with 14 points.
BSC’s junior guard Jamar Gray (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) and sophomore guard Santo LaMar (Buffalo, NY/Maryvale) each had eight points in the first half for the Bengals. The Bengals shot 55.2% from the floor as they hit 16-of-29 shots. Junior guard James Tyndal (Bronx, NY/Mnsgr. Scanlon) had six first half assists as well.
TCNJ never trailed in the second half and managed to hold the Bengals at bay despite several runs. The Lions would finish with a 37-29 edge on the boards on the night and shot an impressive 51.7% from the floor (30-58), while holding the Bengals to 43.5% (27-62).
TCNJ’s sophomore Jay Frank (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) added 14 points on a 6-11 shooting performance for the floor and junior guard Jeff Molinelli (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) added 14 points as well with four assists.
Buffalo State’s freshman forward Mike Maloney (Buffalo, NY/Cheektowaga) provided a spark in the second half for the team as he finished as the team’s co-scoring leader with 11 points and five rebounds in just nine minutes of work. Santo finished with 11 points as well, while Gray added 10 points. Senior Dion Mozelle (Rego Park, NY/Xaverian) added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds, all defensive.
TCNJ returns to Packer Hall on Wednesday, January 9 hosting Albright College at 7 p.m., while Buffalo State hosts SUNY-Potsdam on Friday, January 11 at 8 p.m.
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