Mens Basketball: Rowan 68 TCNJ 62
Thursday, January 24, 2008
GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University men’s basketball team overcame a 20 point
deficit to defeat The College of New Jersey, 68-62 in a New Jersey Athletic
Conference (NJAC) game on Wednesday.
TCNJ had a 36-21 halftime lead. The
Lions extended their advantage to 20 points (45-25) following a three point play
by forward Mark Aziz (sr. Hackettstown, NJ/West Morris) at 15:40. TCNJ guard
Corey Gilmore’s (sr. S. Plainfield, NJ/S. Plainfield) free throw at 11:23 made
the score 52-36. Rowan went on a 16-4 run over the next 9:02 to go ahead 62-56
with 2:21 remaining. Guard Michael Farrow (fr. Whitesboro, NJ/Middle Twp.)
paced the Profs with 12 points, while guard Kevin Darby (jr. Atco, NJ/Hammonton)
followed with six and forward Dwayne Reevey (sr. Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair
Haven) added four. Farrow’s three-pointer at 4:45 gave Rowan a 57-56 lead.
Guard Jeff Warner (sr. Jackson, NJ/Jackson Mem.) nailed a three-pointer with
1:13 to bring the Lions within two points (64-62). Darby and forward Matt
Byrnes (sr. Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) each made two free throws with 19 and
nine seconds remaining respectively to seal the victory.
Rowan improves
to 12-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference, while TCNJ has a 5-11 record and a
1-4 NJAC mark. The Profs were led by Byrnes and Darby with 20 points apiece.
Farrow contributed with 16 points off the bench. Reevey chipped in with seven
points and seven rebounds. For the Lions, guard Jay Frank (so. Brick, NJ/Brick
Mem.) scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed five boards. Aziz and Gilmore
added nine points apiece, while Warner had eight.
In the first half, the
game was tied three times before TCNJ took control. Reevey’s foul shot at 10:09
tied the score at 17. The Lions scored the next seven points to lead 24-17 at
5:47. Frank had five points, while Gilmore had two. Byrnes made two free
throws at 4:29 to cut the deficit to five points (24-19). TCNJ closed out the
half by outscoring the Profs 12-2. Frank recorded seven of the 12 points. He
led all scorers with 22 points at the break. Byrnes had 14 points for
Rowan.