York, PA... The College of New Jersey women's basketball team used a 17-0 run in the first half to pull away from Cazenovia College en route to an 88-52 triumph on Sunday, November 16 as the Lions netted their first win over the season.
 
The win came in the consolation game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic hosted by York (PA) College. TCNJ is 1-1 on the young season, while the Wildcats dropped to 0-2.
 
The Lions never trailed in the game as senior Kelly Coughlin (Trumball, CT/Trumball) opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, but the Wildcats countered with a shot from long range to tie the score.
 
TCNJ then reeled off seven straight points and eventually led 12-9 with just under 15 minutes left.
 
The Lions then grabbed control with that 17-0 run, which spanned 6:36 that pushed the margin to 29-9. TCNJ protected that lead going into the break with a 41-27 edge on the scoreboard.
 
Things went even better for the Lions in the second half as they outscored the Wildcats by a difference of 47-25 to wrap up the decisive win.
 
Coughlin, who was named to the all-tournament team, and junior Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) led the way on the offensive end of the floor as they each finished with 15 points. Senior Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) added 14 points and sophomore Kim Dana (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) dropped in a career-high 11 points.
 
Freshman Cindy Napolitano (Wall, NJ/St. Rose) had a nice game with nine points, while junior Christina Merlin (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop Ahr) contributed in other ways with a team-best eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
 
The Lions remain on the road on Tuesday, November 18 at Moravian College, before their home opener on Saturday, November 22 against conference opponent Montclair State University. That game tips off at 1 p.m.