Montclair, NJ…Only one team could stay undefeated in the New Jersey Athletic Conference women's basketball standings and ninth-ranked Montclair State University scored the game's final 14 points to be that team rallying past The College of New Jersey for a 56-46 win on Wednesday.
 
The win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Lions, their longest in five seasons, as they dipped to 10-3 overall and 7-1 in the conference, while the Red Hawks stayed prefect in league play at 8-0 and are 14-1 overall. The two teams will meet again on the final day of the regular season on February 19 in Packer Hall. While Montclair State remained in first place, TCNJ does have a strong grasp on second place with a two-game lead over third-place William Paterson University.
 
Wednesday's game had plenty of potential to be an offensive showcase with the Lions leading the NJAC in scoring at 74.4 points per game and Montclair State right on their heels at 74.0. It was the defenses, however, that set the tone with both teams shooting less than 40 percent from the floor and each turning the ball over 20 times. TCNJ shot 34.7 percent (17-for-49) from the floor and limited the Red Hawks to an even 37 percent (17-for-46).
 
The first half was a game of runs with the Lions going on the first one for putting them in front 7-2 just under five minutes into the game. That run was capped by a pair of free throws from senior Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck).
 
The Red Hawks later countered with a 10-2 run that saw them jump in front 18-14, but TCNJ had a late answer scoring the final eight points of the period. After Montclair State led 20-16, the Lions got two more foul shots from DeTulio, while junior Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens), senior Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional), and sophomore Christina Merlin (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop Ahr) each dropped in field goals for a 24-20 advantage at the break.
 
Early in the second half, TCNJ took its biggest lead of the game at 29-23 when sophomore Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) scored on a lay-up.
 
Montclair State responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead at 32-29, but the see-saw contest continued with the Lions chipping away and reclaiming the lead. That lead came at 37-36 with 9:41 left as West knocked down a jumper.
 
The teams then traded the lead several times leading into the final minutes with the Lions taking a 46-42 lead when West connected from the floor and then twice from the line with 4:48 left.
 
Those turned out to be the final points the Lions would score as the Red Hawks scored the game's final 14 points, with the last seven of them coming from the foul line in the last 47 seconds of the game.
 
The game was tight throughout with 10 lead changes and five ties.
 
West paced the Lions with 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) finished the night with 13.
 
TCNJ are back at home in Packer Hall this Saturday facing New Jersey City University at 1 p.m.