Washington DC – Taking the court for the final time against a non-conference opponent, The College of New Jersey women's basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped as host Catholic University defeated the Lions 59-37 on Tuesday.
 
The loss knocked the Lions to 13-7 on the season, while the Cardinals moved to 14-4.
 
The Lions grabbed the early lead as sophomore Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional) made a field goal, but the Cardinals weren't fazed as they went on a 15-2 run building a double-figure lead in the just over six minutes into the game. West also scored the other bucket for TCNJ during that time.
 
Catholic then put together another modest run to lead 33-11 at the half.
 
The Cardinals picked up where they left in the opening frame scoring the first 10 points of the new half for a 43-11 advantage. Lion senior Hannah Tait (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) broke that run with a field and then on the team's next possession drained a 3-pointer making it a 43-16 game.
 
TCNJ didn't quit as the Lions later ran off 11 straight points midway through the half as Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) sandwiched two field goals around a bucket by Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling).  Freshman Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) accounted for the final five points as she hit a shot from behind the arc and another from inside.
 
That run helped TCNJ play even with the Cardinals in the second half as they each scored 26 points.
 
Coughlin led the Lions with nine points, while Kutch finished with eight and Tait scored nine.
 
The Lions return home on Saturday, January 28 hosting the Red Hawks of Montclair State University at 1 p.m. in Packer Hall.