Box Score


Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey women's basketball team registered a gritty 71-65 win over Richard Stockton College in New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Wednesday night in Packer Hall.
 
The Lions (14-8, 6-4 NJAC) now need just one more win in their final three conference games or a single loss by Rutgers University-Camden to clinch a post-season berth into the NJAC tournament. The Ospreys fell to 12-9 overall, 4-6 in the conference.
 
TCNJ senior Hannah Tait (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) cut loose for 16 points to lead the offense, while senior Jessica Imhof (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) contributed a season-high 10 points in the victory.
 
Senior LaTonya Oliver (West Berlin, NJ/Overbrook) put forth an incredible performance for the Ospreys scoring a game-high 28 points and collecting 16 boards. She was a near-perfect 12-of-13 from the floor and blocked a shot. Sophomore Lauren Alwan (Winslow, NJ/Timber Creek) had productive night adding 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the game.
 
Both teams showcased plenty of hustle early on, but had little to show for it on the scoreboard as the Lions and Ospreys were shooting under 30 percent midway through the period. TCNJ trailed by a point but heated up quickly when Roddy drained a three and Tait pulled up to knock back a 18-foot jumper. Sophomore Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) then  followed her own miss and banked in a short layup to give the Lions a four-point advantage.
 
After a Richard Stockton timeout, Roddy drilled another 3-pointer and then took a feed from senior Katie Occhipinti (Millington, NJ/The Pingry School) to give TCNJ a 25-19 advantage with 5:35 to play in the half. Occhipinti finished with a team-high four assists.
 
TCNJ continued to build momentum throughout the remainder of the half and held a 31-21 lead at the break.
 
The Ospreys came out of the intermission with purpose as Oliver continued to dominate under the glass. The visitors chopped the lead down to two points in the first five minutes to close the gap to 33-31. The Lions responded with a 10-2 run as Imhof and Tait each tallied five points. Richard Stockton refused to relent, however, as. Alwan converted hit a pair of buckets to close draw within 43-40 with 11:10 to play.
 
Both teams battled down the stretch, playing scrappy defense and capitalizing on turnovers on the offensive end. Oliver and Alwan continued to cause problems in the paint, but the Ospreys had trouble finding their shooting touch from 3-point range as they connected on just 3-of-21 attempts in the game.
 
The collective efforts of Tait, Imhof and company kept the Ospreys from gaining significant ground. TCNJ took advantage of their free throws late in the game, hitting 14-of-17 overall. DeTulio knocked down all four of her foul shots in the final two minutes and also registered a pair of steals.
 
Freshman Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) had a solid game with nine points on 50 percent shooting, and junior Candace Vigo (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick Health Science Tech) collected seven rebounds and blocked three shots.
 
TCNJ is back in action on Saturday, February 4 when they visit NJAC opponent Rowan University. The return to Packer Hall on Wednesday, February 8^th in a rematch against Kean University.
 
Note: The women's team hosted “Play 4Kay” as part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) breast cancer awareness initiative. Play 4Kay is an opportunity for a nation of coaches to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for research on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The event was formerly known as the WBCA Pink Zone and Think Pink.  
 
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was founded in 2007 in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research, to raise money in the fight against women's cancers. The late Kay Yow was the former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach and a past president of the WBCA. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and later passed away on January 24, 2009 after her third bout with the disease. Since the establishment of the Fund, $4,500,000 has been raised for scientific research focused on women's cancers.