Montclair, NJ – Freshman forward Elias Bermudez (Westwood, NJ / Westwood) scored the go-ahead basket with 1:47 remaining and senior guard Jayson Johnson (Columbus, NJ / Life Center Academy) added the last of his 21 points with two free throws in the closing seconds as The College of New Jersey slipped past Montclair State, 65-62 at the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.

Junior center Bobby Brackett (Lawrenceville, NJ / Lawrence) had a solid double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds as the Lions (10-8, 6-5 NJAC) posted their second straight win and seventh in its last nine outings.

Freshman guard Lavrone Green (Teaneck, NJ / Teaneck) posted his second consecutive 20-point game finishing with 24 as Montclair State (5-11, 2-10 NJAC) dropped its fourth straight in addition to falling to TCNJ for the second time this season.  It was also the second time in as many games that MSU fell by three points as it lost to Kean 81-78 in overtime on Wednesday.

Bermudez's layup, his only basket of the game, was the last of 16 lead changes in the game and came on a put back as he pulled down a miss by Johnson for a 63-62 advantage. The Red Hawks missed on their opportunity at the other end however the Lions failed to extend the lead as Johnson failed to connect on two foul shots with 53 seconds to go.

MSU got two cracks to take the lead but came up short on a pair of close range attempts before Johnson was fouled with 19 seconds left. He made both free throws for a 65-62 lead. Montclair got one last chance however Green's three-pointer with :01 left hit off the side of the rim.

TCNJ grabbed a quick six-point advantage, the largest lead by either team in the game, as Johnson drained a three-pointer with 15:32 to play. Montclair State answered back and took its first lead with 10:36 on a Shaun Russell (Brooklyn, NY / Willingboro) layup making the score 16-15. A free throw by Devyn Ransom (Jersey City, NJ / Marist) put MSU in front 28-24 with 3:34 to play in the opening period before the Lions eventually regained the lead at 33-31 on Skyler Ettin's (Princeton, NJ / Princeton) two foul shot with 51 seconds remaining.

The second half would feature 11 ties with neither team holding more than a four-point lead. A Brackett layup in the first 31 seconds of the period made the score 35-31 which turned into a 39-35 lead for the Red Hawks following an eight-point spurt. Jerome Hilton's (Jersey City, NJ / Snyder) capped off the run with a three-point play with 15:45. From that point on the two squads were never separated by more than three points.

Hilton's fastbreak layup with 4:51 left gave MSU a 54-51 lead but Johnson countered with a three-point play knotting the contest at 54-54. Green put MSU back in front 59-56 with a three-pointer and his two foul shots with 2:39 to go made the score 61-58. Brackett hit twice form the line 21 seconds later to pull the Lions within 61-60 setting the stage for the final 1:47 of the contest.

Eric Murdock, Jr. (Bridgewater, NJ / Bridgewater-Raritan) had 11 points for the Lions, who committed just nine turnovers in the contest.

Russell had eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Montclair State with Hilton posting eight points, five rebounds and two blocks. Jarrett Bogus (Middlesex, NJ / Middlesex) and Ransom each chipped in with seven points and six rebounds.

Montclair State will look to get back on the winning track this Monday, January 26 when it travels to Hunter College for a 6:00 pm matchup with the Hawks.