Box Score

Ewing, NJ... The College of New Jersey women's basketball team battled as hard as they will all season for a win as they fended off a tenacious Centenary College squad 78-67.

Junior Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) registered a career-high 26 points shooting a robust 12-for-16 from the floor to lead TCNJ (10-7) to their fourth straight win and sixth in their last seven contests.

The Lions played another strong defensive game holding the nation's top-scoring team 21 points under their season average of 87.8 points per game. The Cyclones shot just 31 percent from the field and 20 percent from the behind the three-point arc.

Sophomore Hannah Tait (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) had another great offensive game scoring 18 points while junior Keri Washington (Ewing, NJ/Pennington Prep) registered a double-double netting 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.

The Lions came out playing crisp basketball, despite the constant full-court press from Centenary. TCNJ maintained an early lead, but the Cyclones went on a 9-0 run spearheaded by five points from Hannah Ally (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg) to put them ahead 27-22 with 8:29 remaining.

Kutch came off the bench and knocked down all five of her shots to spark the Lions. Junior Jamie Cresbaugh (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) grabbed an offensive rebound and banked it in to give TCNJ a two-point advantage with 36 seconds left in the opening period. The Lions took a 40-38 lead into the locker controlling the boards and out-rebounding the Cyclones 27-15.

Much like the opening period, the second-half was played at a sprinter's pace. The Lions built up a 59-50 lead when junior Stephanie Prall (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon) drilled a three-pointer with 8:49 remaining. Prall pumped in a career-high 13 points and dished out a season-high 6 assists.

Centenary continued to battle, but were never able to sustain a significant run. Tait and Kutch dropped in key baskets down the stretch to close out the victory.

Senior Kristen Camuso (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's by the Sea) led the Cyclones with 20 points and seven rebounds. Ally chipped in with 10 points while junior Leah Murphy (Hamburg, NY/Mount Mercer Academy) added 7.

The Lions are back action this Wednesday, January 20 when they visit Kean University to square off in an NJAC double-header. The women's game is set for 6 p.m. TCNJ returns to Packer Hall on Saturday, January 23 when they host Montclair State University at 1 p.m. Prior to the game, head coach Dawn Henderson will host the annual alumnae game at 9:30 a.m.

The Cyclones travel to Keystone College on Thursday, January 21.