Jersey City, NJ… When The College of New Jersey women's basketball team has been successful this season, they have capitalized on their scoring balance and effective defense. The Lions used that formula again on Saturday to post a 66-50 road win at New Jersey City University and remain in sole possession of second place in the conference.
 
The win put the Lions at 6-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and 10-5 overall, marking the 33^rd straight year the program has reached double figures in victories. The loss put the Gothic Knights and 3-12 overall and 1-7 in the league.
 
Junior Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) just missed a double-double for TCNJ scoring 15 points and snaring a career-high nine rebounds. Freshman Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) contributed with a career-best 11 points and junior Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional) was the third Lion to reach double figures with 10. In all, six different players scored at least seven points in the win.
 
On the defensive end of the floor, the Lions limited NJCU to only 29.8 percent (17-of-57) shooting from the floor and forced them into 16 turnovers. During one stretch at the end of the first half and into the second, TCNJ held their hosts without a field goal for more than five minutes.    
 
The Lions opened the scoring on the initial possession of the game on a bucket by senior Candace Vigo (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick Health Science Technology), but the Gothic Knights netted the next seven points to take the lead.
 
NJCU remained in front until the final minutes of the first half when West tied the game at 23-23 with 4:16 left in the opening frame. West then put the Lions in front with another bucket and DeTulio tacked on one last field goal in the closing seconds giving TCNJ a 27-23 lead at the break.
 
While West and DeTulio accounted for the team's final points in the half, it was a team effort on the defensive end of the floor as the Lions held the Gothic Knights scoreless for the final 4:37.
 
Junior Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) provided a spark hitting back-to-back 3-pointers as TCNJ jumped out to a 33-26 advantage less than two minutes into the second half.
 
The Gothic Knights made one last run making it a two-point game at 39-37, but the Lions regrouped and slowly stretched the lead. Esposito sank a 3-pointer to make it 42-37 and she later again hit from behind the arc, this time putting TCNJ in front 48-40.
 
Once obtaining that wide of a margin, TCNJ never looked back and only added to it taking its biggest lead of the game at the final buzzer as DeTulio iced things in the final minute going 6-for-6 from the foul line.
 
Roddy added to the win with nine points and Vigo chipped in with eight.
 
TCNJ remains on the road with a non-conference game at Moravian College on Monday, January 14. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.