Box Score

Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey women's basketball team earned a key New Jersey Athletic Conference win as they defeated Rutgers University-Camden 56-48 in Packer Hall on Wednesday night.
 
The Lions (12-6, 4-3 NJAC) dug deep to grind out their 12th victory of the season as they engaged a defensive battle with the Scarlet Raptors (11-5, 2-4 NJAC). The win put TCNJ in sole possession of third place in the South Division The top three teams in each division qualify for post-season play.
 
Junior Candace Vigo (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick Health Science Tech) had standout performance scoring 10 points, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds, and blocking four shots. Senior Hannah Tait (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) led the Lions in scoring with 12 points, while classmate Jessica Imhof (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) finished with 11 points, five boards, and three steals.
 
The Scarlet Raptors were led by senior Brittany Turner (Belleville, NJ/Queen of Peace) who registered a game-high 16 points and six steals.  Freshman Lillian Chuckueze (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) had a strong performance before succumbing to fouls with a game-high 13 rebounds and eight points. Senior Kristina Cox (Deptford, NJ/Deptford) added six points, six assists, and a pair of steals.
 
Matched up against the nation's seventh-ranked team in field goal percentage defense (30.8 percent), the Lions hit their first five shots of the game to storm out to a 10-2 advantage. Sophomore Liz West (Monmouth Jct, NJ/Shore Regional) had a strong opening period, hitting four-of-six shots in eight minutes of play before foul trouble limited her action.
 
The Scarlet Raptors heated up midway through the period as Turner drove to the basket to close the gap to 19-17 with 8:27 to play. Rutgers-Camden had trouble limiting its mishaps, however, as their up-tempo style of play led to 13 first-half turnovers.
 
Vigo came off the bench to provide a strong presence under the boards. She grabbed four rebounds, blocked three shots and dropped in six points. After senior Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) converted a layup with 38 ticks left on the clock, TCNJ held a 28-23 lead at the break.
 
Defense dominated the second half. RUC's defensive prowess made it difficult for the Lions to get good looks, as they were forced to take a number of off-balance shots. Both teams shot under 30 percent in the second half, a testament to high-pressure defense on both ends of the floor.
 
The Lions were held to just three field goals through the first 14 minutes before Imhof drained a baseline jumper with six minutes remaining in the contest. She then registered a conventional three-point play before Tait dropped a bomb from five feet behind the three-point arc to put the Lions ahead 47-41.
 
After TCNJ stretched the lead to 10 points, Scarlet Raptor guard Alex Koutras (Washington Twp, NJ/Washington Twp) buried a three-pointer from the right side. But the Lions hung tough down the stretch to hold for their fourth conference win of the season.
 
Kutch finished with seven points and six rebounds and now has 986 points in her career. Senior Katie Occhipinti (Millington, NJ/The Pingry School) dished out six assists in the win.
 
There were 91 rebounds in the game with TCNJ holding a 50-41 advantage under the glass.
 
TCNJ will visit New Jersey City University for an NJAC contest on Saturday, January 21 at 5 p.m. The Scarlet Raptors visit William Paterson University on Saturday, January 21 at 1 p.m.