By Joseph Caruso
Staff Writer
The Lions won two big games against Kean and William Paterson in their last two matchups. Both were close games, as the first was a four point victory in overtime, and the second was a five point victory.
Coming off of a disappointing week that saw the College drop back to back games against New Jersey Athletic Conference teams Rowan University and Montclair State University, it was now or never for the Lions, as they sat at 8-5 in their conference, on the outside looking in.
The Kean Cougars made a trip to Packer Hall on Jan. 31 to take on their rival cats in the Lions, a matchup which previously saw Kean squeaking out the victory by just two points in their last meeting. Despite having the College’s number this season, it has not been like that all year for the Cougars, who sat under .500 heading into the matchup.
This contest was pretty much a stalemate throughout the first half, with the biggest lead for either team being just six points in the early stages of the game. Going into the locker room, the College led by just two points, with a score of 36-34.
The second half was a game of seesaw in which both teams saw big runs to put themselves ahead. In the end, Kean made a comeback to force the contest into an extra period. In overtime, the College raced out to a quick six point lead and did not look back, as they sealed the victory over Kean with a score of 80-76.
The Lions leading scorer had just 13 points, but the team had five players who recorded double digit points; a true team effort that led to a win. They would have to keep this chemistry going into an equally important conference showdown with WPU on Saturday.
The College traveled to William Paterson University on Feb. 3, looking to get a much needed road victory. They took care of business in the last matchup, defeating the last place Pioneers by double digits. WPU had lost an abhorrent eight games in a row heading into this matchup.
This game did not prove to be as easy for the Lions as some may have thought, as they got into a shootout with WPU and saw themselves go into the halftime break with just a two point lead, 40-38.
It was more of the same in the second half. William Paterson tried their best to get off of the losing skid, but the College’s offense just proved to be too much. Led by sophomore guard Nick Koch, who had 27 points, and a 15 point 15 rebound double-double for sophomore forward Matthew Solomon, the Lions edged the Pioneers 89-84 to move into second place in the NJAC.
The Lions next game is pivotal, as there is just one week left in the regular season. They will welcome Stockton University to Packer Hall on Feb.7.
