Williams Leads Men's Hoops Past TCNJ, 66-60

EWING, N.J. (02/13/08) - Rookie guard Keith Williams (Jersey City, N.J.) scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Kean University men's basketball team to a 66-60 victory over host The College of New Jersey in a pivotal New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division match-up on Wednesday evening.

Williams connected on 7-of-11 shots and added four steals to lead the Cougars (9-14, 4-7 NJAC) to their third straight victory and built a two-game lead in the win column for the third and final playoff spot in the NJAC South Division. 

The Lions (6-16, 2-8 NJAC) placed four in double-figures, as senior guard Jeff Warner (Jackson, N.J.) led the way with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Kean closed the first half on 13-3 run to erase a 10-point deficit and tie the game at 26-26 heading into the break, as Williams scored all 10 of his first-half points in the run, including a three-pointer with 1:14 remaining to knot the game up at halftime.

Senior guard Lamar Wright (Galloway, N.J.) (pictured left) added eight points and three rebounds in the opening half, while Warner had nine points and three assists to lead the Lions.

In the opening minutes of the second half, neither team led by more than four points, before the Cougars took the lead for good with 11:55 remaining in the game on a three-point play by freshman forward Akinwande Oshodi (Florence, N.J.) to take a 40-37 lead.

The Cougars used a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 44-37 following a lay-up by Williams with 10:34 remaining, and Kean would lead by as many as nine points (51-42) when Williams knocked down a three-pointers with just under six minutes remaining.

Down the stretch, TCNJ pulled to within four points at 58-54 with just 44 ticks remaining before the Cougars sealed the victory converting 10-of-14 free throws in the final minute of the game.

Oshodi hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor to finish with 18 points and six rebounds, while Wright added 12 points, four rebounds and two steals. 

For the Lions, junior guard Jeff Molinelli (Pennington, N.J.) had 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while senior forward Mark Aziz (Hackettstown, N.J.) and senior guard Corey Gilmore (South Plainfield, N.J.) added 11 points and 10 points, respectively.

The Cougars have a bye weekend before hosting NJAC South Division leader Richard Stockton College in the final regular season home game on Wednesday, February 20.  Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.