Box Score


Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey women's basketball team fell to New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent Montclair State University 67-56 on Saturday afternoon in Packer Hall.
 
The Lions (13-8, 5-4 NJAC) ran up against a red-hot Red Hawk squad, who won their seventh straight game and 15^th of the season.  The loss drops TCNJ to 5-4 in the conference, although they still maintain their second-place standing the in the NJAC South Division.
 
 The Lions received a career-best nine points from freshman Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling). Freshman Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) also scored nine points in the game, while junior Candace Vigo (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick Health and Science Tech) had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds on the afternoon.
 
Montclair State (15-6, 5-4 NJAC) shot 54 percent from three-point range led by junior Michelle Montagna (New Providence, NJ/New Providence). She finished with 13 points, which included hitting three-of-four from behind the arc. Freshman Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ/Roselle Catholic) led all scorers with 14 points and sophomore Theresa Towns (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) had 12 points and six boards. Junior Colleen Kelly (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills) added a game-high 10 boards.
 
The Red Hawks jumped out to a 7-0 lead before TCNJ's Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) took a feed underneath from sophomore Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) to get the Lions on the board. The Lions had trouble getting its outside shooting on track, however, missing all six shot attempts in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Montclair continued to build its lead with tight defense and tenacity under the glass. Montagna was the spark on offense, hitting all four shot attempts in the half, including a pair of three-point buckets. Following a pair of free throws in the final seconds, the Red Haws held a 36-20 lead at the intermission.
 
Sophomore Liz West (Monmouth, NJ/Shore Regional) hit back-to-back short jumpers to open the second half. DeTulio then hit the Lions first 3-pointer of the game to cut the lead to 38-27. The two teams traded field goals over the next ten minutes of play highlighted by a long, three off the fingertips of Coughlin.
 
TCNJ narrowed the gap to single digits at the 4:30 mark when Vigo took a pass underneath from senior Katie Occhinpinti (Millington, NJ/The Pingry School). But the Red Hawks were outstanding down the stretch from the free-throw line and converted 17-of-21 in the game.
 
TCNJ will host Richard Stockton College on Wednesday, February 1 at 6 p.m. in Packer Hall. The Ospreys are currently in third place in the south division.
 
Note: The College of New Jersey athletic department hosted its 26^th Annual National Girls and Women In Sports Day. Approximately 60 girls from grades three through eight enjoyed festivities that included painting t-shirts, listening to guest speaker Mika Ryan, the President/CEO of the Mercer County Sports and Entertainment Commission, and watching the Lions basketball game.
 
Following the game, all attendees had an opportunity to meet the members of TCNJ's women's basketball team for an autograph session.
 
National Girls & Women In Sports Day (NGWSD) is a special day for girls and women to celebrate their participation in sports and athletics. TCNJ has been a hot-bed for women in sports as women's teams have combined to capture 33 national championships at the institution. The Lions athletic program recently added its 39^th overall national title this past November when TCNJ's field hockey team won the 2011 NCAA Field Hockey National Championship.