Ewing, NJ …A late offensive burst in the final minutes of the game lifted Montclair State University to a 51-43 victory over The College of New Jersey women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon.
 
It was a playoff atmosphere in Packer Hall as the Lions (2-2, 0-1 NJAC) battled the 10^th-ranked Red Hawks (3-0) in their home and New Jersey Athletic Conference opener. TCNJ led the majority of the contest, but MSU finished the game with a 14-0 run to steal the win.
 
Lions' junior Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) scored a team-high 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while senior guard Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) added eight points and four rebounds.
 
Senior Melissa Tobie (Elizabeth, NJ/Roselle Catholic) registered a double-double and led all players with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Janitza Aquino (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) finished with 13 points and five boards, while junior Kayla Ceballos (Brooklyn, NJ/Christ the King) also reached double figures with 11 points.
 
The Lions led from the onset and were in command of the game in the opening period. O'Donnell drained a three-point shot with 11:07 left in the half to put TCNJ up 15-6.mEsposito gave the Lions their biggest lead of the game when she drilled a three-point field to push ahead 20-10 with 5:06 remaining in the period.
 
Montclair had a nightmarish opening half on offense, shooting just 5-of-25 from the field. Nothing was falling from long range as they missed all 18 three-point attempts. Their defense, however, kept them in the contest. They forced 11 turnovers and held the Lions scoreless the final five minutes, cutting their deficit to 20-16.
 
MSU was able to tie the game at 22 just over three minutes into the second half, but Esposito scored five straight points and junior Jess Lynch (Sandy Hook, CT/Newtown) Lynch drained a shot from behind the arc to stretch the lead back to 30-24. The Red Hawks rattled off six straight points to even the score at 30, but Lynch netted seven straight points to maintain the host advantage.
 
With 8:35 remaining in the game, Montclair took its first lead by connecting on their first three-point field on their 23^rd attempt. Aquino found the bottom of the net to give the Red Hawks a 37-34 lead.
 
TCNJ, however, answered right back.  Junior Christina Merlin (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop Ahr) dropped in a shot from underneath and senior Kelly Coughlin (Trumball, CT/Trumball) stuck a mid-range jumper. Esposito followed with a pair of free throws and another by Coughlin to put the Lions up 41-37 with 5;29 to play.
 
O'Donnell found Esposito on a cut underneath and made it a six-point lead. But the Red Hawks converted a pair of buckets from the paint before Aquino nailed her second shot of the game from long range to take a 43-44 lead with 2:16 to play. Ceballos followed with a trey and the Red Hawks took control for their first NJAC win of the season.
 
Coughlin finished with eight points and three assists and Lynch contributed seven points and three serves.
 
Freshman Katie Sire (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) added six points and 10 rebounds for Montclair.
 
TCNJ continues its NJAC schedule on Tuesday night when they visit Rutgers University-Camden for a 6 p.m. start. The Lions return home Wednesday, December 3 to take on Richard Stockton College at 8 p.m. in Packer Hall.