Box Score

Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey women's basketball team was out of step through the first 20 minutes of play against New Jersey Athletic Conference opponent Rutgers-Newark. At some point during the intermission, they found their swagger.

The Lions (10-2, 7-0 NJAC) played a determined second half of basketball to defeat the Scarlet Raiders (7-6, 3-4 NJAC) 56-43 on Saturday afternoon. After shooting 22 percent from the field during a first half where they trailed by as many as 12 points, TCNJ played with poise and purpose in the second period to capture its ninth straight win.

The victory sets up an exciting match-up this Wednesday night when they visit Montclair State University. Both teams are 7-0 in league play and tied for first place in the NJAC standings.

Senior Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional) led the Lions with a season-high 14 points, while guard Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Senior Colleen Duffy (Spotswood, NJ/Spotswood) and senior Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) were both catalysts in the Lions' resurgence in the second half. Roddy finished with nine points, while Duffy tallied seven points, five boards, and three assists.

Junior Jade Howard (Sicklerville, NJ/St. Joseph's-Hammonton) led the Scarlet Raiders with a double-double, scoring 14 points and collecting a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Arianna Williams (Lumberton, NJ/Rancocas Valley) finished with 11 points and senior Jasmine Daniels (Lodi, NJ/Lodi) chipped in with five points.

TCNJ spun its wheels in the opening minutes of play. On their first seven possessions, they missed four shots and turned it over three times before O'Donnell found Roddy on a backdoor cut to break the ice. The Scarlet Raiders steadily built an 11-2 advantage.

Despite picking up their intensity, the Lions continued to struggle in the first half. They connected on just 7-of-31 field goal attempts and turned the ball over 10 times. To their credit, they continued to battle and reduced a double-digit deficit to just five points at the break. West dropped in a layup after an offensive board and was fouled. She converted the free throw and the Lions trailed 26-21.

Williams and Howard paced Rutgers-Newark with eight points each.

The Lions took on a completely different attitude and look on the floor in the second half. Roddy drove and dropped in a layup, and on the ensuing possession, drained the first three-pointer of the game for the Lions.

With 16:20 remaining, Roddy received a slick bounce pass from Christina Merlin (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop Ahr) and converted to give TCNJ its first lead at 30-29.

With the game deadlocked at 33 and 10:30 on the clock, the Lions put it into overdrive to take control of the contest. They scored 13 straight points to pull away from the Scarlet Raiders. Back-to-back layups by West put TCNJ in front. Duffy then grabbed an offensive rebound and banked in a shot before senior Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) knocked down a jump shot from behind the arc. Layups by Merlin and Duffy capped off the run and extended TCNJ's lead to 46-33 with 6:08 remaining.

Overall, the Lions hit 13-of-25 shots in the second half and turned the ball over just five times. What began with perhaps their worst 20 minutes of basketball to start the game, evolved into arguably their strongest victory of the season. The nine straight wins is the longest since the 2008-09 season when they captured 13 in a row.

The Lions return to the hardwood on Wednesday evening when they visit the Red Hawks for a 6 p.m. tip-off. Rutgers-Newark will host Kean University on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.