Newark, NJ… The College of New Jersey women's basketball team moved into sole possession of second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference as the Lions got past Rutgers-Newark 73-69 on Saturday.
 
The win put TCNJ at 5-1 in the conference and 9-4 overall. That conference record puts them second place, trailing only Montclair State University at 7-0. The Lions will get their shot at the undefeated and 24^th-ranked Red Hawks on Wednesday at Parker Hall. That game is at 6 p.m.
 
The loss dropped the Scarlet Raiders to fourth place in the league with a 4-3 record, with William Paterson University settling into third at 4-2.
 
TCNJ got the big win at Rutgers-Newark thanks to their exceptional shooting as they hit on 57.1 percent of their shots for the game (24-of-42). The team was just as good from behind the 3-point arc at a blistering 55.6 percent knocking down 10-of-18 attempts.
 
Sophomore Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) was the catalyst for TCNJ scoring 19 points and dishing out six assists, both of which were career highs. Classmate Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) chipped in with 15 points and five rebounds, while junior Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) was the third Lion to reach double figures with 12. Junior Colleen Duffy (Spotswood, NJ/Spotswood) also contributed scoring eight points.
 
Rutgers-Newark's only lead came after the initial basket of the game and the Lions then took control of the opening half. They took the lead for good at 5-3 following a 3-pointer by Goldbach. TCNJ twice led by 11 points in the half with the second coming at the break.
 
The Lions led by as many as 15 points in the second half and the Scarlet Raiders chipped away until the closing seconds when they whittled the deficit to a pair at 71-69. O'Donnell then iced the win for TCNJ knocking down two free throws with five seconds remaining.