Williamsport, PA... The College of New Jersey women's basketball team turned in a gritty performance against Case Western Reserve University on Sunday that resulted in a 57-51 victory. That win came in the opening round of the Hoops for Hounds Tournament hosted by Lycoming College.
 
The win squared TCNJ's record at 5-5, while the Spartans dropped to 5-3 and saw their modest three-game winning streak snapped.
 
The Lions finish the tournament on Monday taking on the host Warriors at 3 p.m. Lycoming won its opening contest over Delaware Valley College, 57-47.
 
The game was close throughout with both teams holding leads in each half, before TCNJ sealed the win from the foul line in the waning seconds.
 
The Lions fell behind in the opening stages of the game as the Spartans jumped out to a 7-2 lead with that final basket coming with 15:57 on the clock. TCNJ fought back to tie the game at 7-7 on a traditional three-point play by junior guard Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney).
 
Case Western Reserve later added two free throws to go up 9-7, but the Lion defense held the Spartans without a field goal for nearly seven minutes. That allowed TCNJ to go on a 9-0 run that saw four different players contribute on the offensive end of the floor. Freshman Charlotte Schum (East Hanover, NJ/Morris Catholic), senior Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull), and junior Christina Merlin (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop Ahr) each sank shots from the floor, while senior Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) knocked down a 3-pointer for a 16-9 advantage.
 
TCNJ later led 20-13, but the Spartans used an 11-0 run to regain the lead and eventually carried a 28-23 advantage into the break.
 
The Lions began the second half with a flurry, scoring eight of the first nine points in the period. Senior Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) made a lay-up on the initial possession of the new frame and Goldbach then followed with a free throw. After a basket by the Spartans, Merlin hit from short range and Goldbach drained her second trifecta of the contest putting TCNJ back in front at 31-30.
 
The Spartans retook the lead with just over 16 minutes left, only to have the Lions put together another modest run scoring seven straight for a 38-32 edge.
 
Case Western Reserve stayed close and later went back in front on a three-pointer that gave them a 45-44 lead.
 
After the lead increased to 46-44, the Lions quickly got two free throws from Coughlin and a bucket from freshman Nikki Schott (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) to move back ahead by two points.
 
That lead grew to 53-49, but O'Donnell iced the win for TCNJ as she was a perfect 4-for-4 from foul line in the final 26 seconds.
 
Coughlin poured in a game-high 15 points and Merlin chipped in with nine.
 
Freshman Kara Hageman (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) led Case Western Reserve with 12 points.