Bethlehem, PA… Playing with a lead and clutch free-throw shooting in the waning minutes sparked The College of New Jersey women's basketball team to its biggest win of the season as they came away with a 60-53 triumph at Moravian College on Monday.
 
The win elevated TCNJ to 11-5, while the loss was only the second of the season for Moravian as the Greyhounds fell to 14-2. Moravian entered the game ranked 22^nd in the newest D3hoops.com poll.
 
The Lions, which led from start to finish, carried a 12-point lead into the second half, but the Greyhounds remained in striking distance throughout the final 20 minutes. Moravian closed to within 35-32 in the early stages of the new frame, only the Lions responded with a modest 5-0 run thanks to a 3-pointer from Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumball) and a field goal from Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/J.P. Stevens).
 
Entering the stretch run, the Greyhounds pulled to within 49-47 as the Lions again threw a quick conterr punch. This time Goldbach nailed a shot from behind the 3-point arc with 2:30 remaining extending the margin to five.
 
Moravian got as close as 52-48 when Alexis Wright (Shillingtonn, PA/Governor Mifflin) hit from the foul line with 2:18 left.
 
The Lions then scored their final eight points from the line with Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) accounting for half of those closing out the 60-53 win.
 
TCNJ got off to a solid start racing to a 10-2 lead with junior Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) getting the bucket that put the visitors into double figures.
 
The Lions later claimed its biggest advantage at 31-16 when Coughlin knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:02 left in the half.
 
The Greyhound closed to with 31-23, but a field goal by Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) combined with TCNJ keeping Moravian off of the scoreboard the final 2:34 allowed them to carry a 33-21 into the intermission.
 
Coughlin and Candace Vigo (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick Health Science Technology) each finished with 12 points for the Lions, while Vigo's jumper from in the lane with 6:01 left in the game pushed her past 500 career points. She now has 507. Goldbach also reached double figures and O'Donnell chipped in with eight, including a perfect 6-for-6 performance from the charity stripe.
 
Wright led all scorers with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
  
The Lions return to New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, January 16 hosting William Paterson University at 6 p.m.