Box Score

Center Valley, PA… The College of New Jersey women’s basketball team held off a late surge by Ursinus College to move into the title game of the Starter’s Pub Tip-Off Tournament with a 53-48 win over the Bears on Saturday.

The Lions will face host DeSales University in the championship game set for 3 p.m. on Sunday. DeSales won its opening game in the tournament by cruising past Keystone College, 104-46.

The win was the 300th in the career for TCNJ head coach Dawn Henderson, who is in her 17th year as a collegiate coach with 13 of those coming at the helm of the Lion program. Her overall mark now stands at 300-143.

TCNJ led by a point at the half and led almost the entire second half leading by as many nine before holding off the Bears.

Senior Breanne Depken (Oradell, NJ/River Dell) paced TCNJ 12 points, while junior Sara Best (High Ridge, NJ/Voorhees) and sophomore Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) each finished with eight.

The Lions fell behind early, but bounced back in the latter stages of the opening period to go on a 10-2 run covering the final 8:38 to take a 21-20 lead. Freshman center Alexandra Gregorek (Mahwah, NJ/Academy of Holy Angels) sparked the run with three of those points with all of them coming from the foul line. Classmate Erin Drulis (Ewing, NJ/Notre Dame) added to TCNJ’s modest run connecting from behind the 3-point arc.

Gregorek finished her Lion debut with five points and a team-high nine rebounds.