Box Score

Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey women's basketball team returned to its winning ways as they defeated New Jersey City University 72-54 on Saturday afternoon in Packer Hall.

After dropping their first New Jersey Athletic Conference game of the season on Wednesday night, the Lions won their 10^th game in its last 11 contests to improve to 11-3 overall and 8-1 in the conference. The Gothic Knights dropped to 5-11 and 2-7 in the NJAC.

Seniors led the way as Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) paced TCNJ with a team-high 15 points. Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional) enjoyed a strong performance with 13 points, while classmate Colleen Duffy (Spotswood, NJ/Spotswood) also reached double figures with 11 points. Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) had a productive afternoon on the floor with nine points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Sophomore guard Kiana Briggs (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) poured in a game-high 18 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Freshman forward Bria Smith (Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy) added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Jade Medley (Queens, NJ/Hudson Catholic) chipped in with eight points.

Both teams came out hot as the first eight shots of the game found the bottom of the net. The Lions drained 9-of-12 field goal attempts in the opening nine minutes to storm out to a 25-10 lead. Roddy displayed her pure shooting stroke, connecting on 4-of-5 shots and a pair of three-pointers. Duffy also hit a pair of 3s and West finished the opening period with nine points.

NJCU fought its way back into the contest after trailing by as many as 17 points. Briggs dropped in 12 points in the half, while Vazquez dished out four assists.

With under two minutes remaining in the period, Vazquez drove the lane and fouled hard. Her shot dropped in, and after converting the free throw, the Gothic Knights had cut their deficit to seven points. Roddy responded with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession and TCNJ held a 40-30 lead at the break.

The Gothic Knights trimmed the Lions' lead to five points at the 14-minute mark, but Roddy answered again from behind the arc off a feed from Esposito. A put-back by Jessica Goldbach moments later pushed the advantage back to double digits.

The Lions dominated the game in the pain, outrebounding NJCU 43-30 in the game. That included 19 boards on the offensive end. The Lions bench play also proved to be a significant advantage as they outscored the Gothic Knight bench 24-4.

Junior Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) finished with eight points and two steals, while sophomore Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) tallied seven points and two assists.

The Lions return to the court on Monday evening when they visit Delaware Valley College at 7 p.m. in Doylestown, Pa. The Gothic Knights host Ramapo College this Wednesday at 6 p.m.