Box Score

Ewing …The College of New Jersey women's basketball team drained a season-high 13 three-point field goals to storm past Rutgers University-Camden 88-53 in New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Monday night in Packer Hall.

The Lions were deadly from long distance in capturing their fifth straight and 16^th win of the season. They sustain a firm hold on second place in the conference at 12-3 (16-6 overall) as both William Paterson and Kean University trail by two games with three league match-ups remaining on the schedule.

The top two teams in the league standings earn a bye in the opening round of the NJAC post-season tournament. TCNJ has already secured a spot in the playoffs.

Sophomore guard Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) connected on 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc to finish with a game-high 14 points. Senior Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) tallied 14 points in the win, connecting on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor. Seniors Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) and Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional) also turned in strong performances as Roddy netted 13 points and copped five steals. West scored eight points, collected eight rebounds, and dished out five assists.

Junior Alex Gravinese (Audubon, NJ/Audubon) led RUC with 12 points, hitting four treys. Sophomore Krystle Cook (Philadelphia, PA/Girard College) finished with 10 points and junior Tanjae Lewis (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) notched eight points and five boards.

The Scarlet Raptors trailed by just five points with 7:17 remaining in the first half, but the Lions pulled away with a 17-4 run to end the period. A trio of three-point field goals by DeTulio, junior Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull), and Esposito during that stretch gave TCNJ a comfortable 44-26 lead at the half.

TCNJ's defense held the Scarlet Raiders to 33 percent shooting from the floor. They also forced 13 turnovers, compiling 11 steals.

The Scarlet Raptors came out hard in the second half, forcing an early timeout by Loins' head coach Dawn Henderson. TCNJ responded quickly, and back-to-back three-pointers from DeTulio and Esposito pushed their advantage to 20 points and dashed any hopes of an RUC upset.

The Lions moved the ball extremely well and assisted on 28 of the 33 field goals they connected on in the game. A total of 11 different players scored for TCNJ, which included six by freshman Taryn Corrigan (Ramsey, NJ/Ramsey) in just eight minutes of play. Coughlin finished with 12 points and junior Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) added eight points and five rebounds.

The Lions return to Packer Hall on Wednesday night when they host Rowan University at 6 p.m. The Scarlet Raptors host Richard Stockton College at 6 p.m.