By Jordan Washington
Staff Writer
The College suffered two straight losses this past week, one against New Jersey City University on Feb. 6 and the other during an emotional Senior Day against Kean University on Saturday, Feb. 9.
In the Lions’ first game against NJCU, which is first in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings, they found themselves trailing early.
The Lions never led during the first half, as they were down by nine at halftime.
NJCU shot very well and went on a 14-2 point run early in the second half. It was a rough night of shooting for the Lions, as only two players reached double figures.
Senior guard Joe Montano led the team with 13 points while junior forward Randall Walko chipped in an extra 11.
On Saturday, Feb. 9, the team took on Kean University, where seniors Montano, forward Jordan Glover and guard Liam Byrne were honored before the game.
The game did not turn out in favor of the College on such a big day.
The game was another slow start for the Lions as they were down 19-9 after just nine minutes of play.
A big 15-4 scoring run allowed the College to take the lead for a time. Walko scored two big buckets and finished the game with 24 points.
From that point on, the teams went back and forth, with the College taking a two point lead into the intermission.
The second half was much like the first, as there were many lead changes with the teams’ scoring going back and forth.
However, the College was able to take a late lead when sophomore center Travis Jocelyn scored to put the Lions up by one.
Kean hit two late three-pointers that created a sizeable gap, which the Lions were not able to overcome.
Kean scored consistently from the free throw line, which helped it hold onto the win.
Walko continued to wow, averaging about 20 points a game and just about 6 rebounds per game. He had 11 points against NJCU and 24 against Kean.
Just behind Walko, junior Niall Carpenter is averaging just over 12 points a game this season.
Another stand-out player this season is junior Ryan Jensen who is currently averaging 7 rebounds a game.
With these losses, the Lions have fallen to 13-11 on the season but stay hopeful for a near future playoff run after next week’s game.
As the season comes to a close, the Lions will be back in action tonight at 8 p.m. when they go up against William Paterson University at home.
The College hopes to finish the season strong and head into the NJAC conference tournament on a strong note.
