Newark, NJ… The College of New Jersey women's basketball team moved one game closer to securing a bye in the upcoming conference tournament as the Lions left Rutgers-Newark with a 70-48 victory on Saturday.
 
The win, which was the team's fourth straight, kept TCNJ in second place of the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings as they are 11-3 against conference opponents. Montclair State University remains in first place with a 14-1 record, while William Paterson looms in third place at 9-5. The top six teams make the conference tournament, with the top two teams earning a bye into the semifinals. The Lions have four league games remaining and three of them are at home. Overall, the Lions are 15-6.
 
The loss knocked the Scarlet Raiders to 9-12 overall and 5-10 in the NJAC.
 
Each team had success in the first half with the hosts finding theirs early with the Scarlet Raiders racing off to a 23-15 lead with 7:53 left in the period.
 
After the teams traded baskets to make it 25-18 in favor of Rutgers-Newark, TCNJ got rolling. They finished the half with an 18-0 run and didn't allow a point in the final 6:15. During that span, the defense forced seven turnovers.
 
Senior Tiffany DeTulio (Colts Neck, NJ/Colts Neck) had a huge role in that run scoring half of the 18 points. She started things with a 3-pointer and then was a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Senior Liz West (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Shore Regional) provided a presence in the paint with three field goals during that span and junior Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) hit a 3-pointer to put the Lions in front 36-25 at the half.
 
In the second half, Rutgers-Newark scored on its first possession to get the margin back to single digits, but TCNJ steadily pulled away as they never let its hosts get any closer. The biggest lead for the Lions came with just over seven minutes remaining at 62-36 when sophomore Jess Lynch (Newtown, CT/Newtown) sank a pair of free throws.
 
The Lions then kept things in control the rest of the way for their 11^th conference victory of the season.
 
Senior Kelly Roddy (Belmar, NJ/St. Rose) has a big game as she tied a career-high with 20 points and added seven rebounds and four assists. DeTulio added 16 points and West chipped in with 10. Goldbach had a balanced game with seven points and six boards.
 
The Lions have a quick turnaround as they are right back on the court for a make-up game against Rutgers-Camden on Monday, February 10. That game is set for 6 p.m.