Box Score

Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey women's basketball team kept a firm grasp on second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings as they defeated Richard Stockton College 65-50 on Wednesday night in Packer Hall.

The Lions improved to 13-6 overall and 9-3 in the conference. The Ospreys dropped to 8-10 on the season and 5-6 in the NJAC.

The performance by TCNJ was one of its most complete of the season as they played crisp basketball from tip-off to the final buzzer. They led for more than 38 minutes in the 40-minute contest as they received 24 points off the bench in a dominant team effort.

Senior Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional registered her first double double of the season, scoring 11 points and fighting for 10 rebounds. Senior Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) had a strong effort with 10 points and five assists, while junior Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) finished with 10 points.

Junior guard Alex Nardoza (Fords, NJ/Woodbridge) led all scorers with 14 points. Senior forward Lauren Alwan (Winslow, NJ/Timber Creek) netted 13 points and dished our five assists. Junior Sara Farrell (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) finished with nine points, five boards, and three blocks.

The Lions jumped out to an 11-5 lead as they found the bottom of the net on five of their first six shots, forcing an Osprey timeout. It was a sign of things to come in the opening 20 minutes as they shot 51 percent from the floor to hold a 36-22 advantage.

Richard Stockton closed the gap to 17-15 following an Alwan layup, but an 11-0 run by TCNJ put them in control of the contest. Roddy had a hand in all 11 points.

DeTulio drained a 3-pointer off a feed from Roddy at the 9:01 mark before Roddy found West underneath for a bucket. The senior then connected on a shot from behind the arc, drove the lane for a layup, and converted a free throw to put the Lions up 28-15. The run came in a span of just two minutes.

Farrell hit four of eight shots to lead the Ospreys with nine points in the half and Alwan netted six points.

An offensive rebound and put-back by West stretched TCNJ's lead to 15 points early in the second half. Junior Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ, Sterling) capitalized on a pair of free throws on the following possession and sophomore Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) drained a long three-point shot to give the Lions their largest lead at 51-33 with under 12 minutes to play.

O'Donnell leads the NJAC in free throw percentage with a success rate of 90.8 percent from the line.

Esposito knocked down her second distance shot of the match to ice the game, putting the Lions up 61-42 with 4:21 remaining.

Senior Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) added eight points and four assists, while Esposito contributed six points, two assists, and a pair of steals.

The victory keeps the Lions in second place in the NJAC standings. They remain a half-game ahead of Kean University, who defeated Ramapo College to move to 8-3. Six teams advance to play in the NJAC championship tournament with the top two teams receiving a bye. TCNJ has six games remaining on its conference schedule.

The Lions will travel to Ramapo College on Saturday to square off against the Roadrunners at 1 p.m. The Ospreys visit Rutgers-Newark for a 6 p.m. NJAC showdown.