Photo courtesy of Robert Cole

New York, NY …The College of New Jersey women's basketball team rolled to a 65-48 victory over Lehman College to capture the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament championship title on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Junior guard Kim Dana (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) was named tournament Most Valuable Player, while sophomore Nikki Schott (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
 
The Lions (5-6) played stifling defense, permitting just 48 points to the Lightning as the host shot only 26 percent from the floor. TCNJ used a balanced attack on the offensive end as 11 players checkered the scoring column. Sophomore Cindy Napolitano (Wall, NJ/St. Rose) paced the scorers with a team-high 11 points.  Senior Christina Merlin (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop Ahr) enjoyed another solid effort as she fell just one basket shy of a double-double. Merlin hauled in 10 rebounds and finished with eight points. Senior Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) had a productive afternoon, tallying seven points, eight rebounds, and a game-high four assists.
 
A three-point basket by Napolitano with 3:47 remaining in the first period ignited a 20-3 run to which Lehman never recovered. Once the dust had settled, the Lions owned a 27-10 lead with 4:41 left in the half.  Jumper by sophomore Nikki Schott (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) capped the first-half scoring for TCNJ as they headed to the locker room with a 39-20 advantage.
 
Esposito opened the second half with a three-point field goal and Merlin followed with a layup on free throw to stretch the lead to 25 points. It grew to as high as 30 points when junior Katy Amato (Wyckoff, N/Ramapo) drained a jumper to go up 61-31 with seven minutes left in the final.
 
Dana and Schott both finished with eight points in the game, while freshman Kate O'Leary (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) added six points on three-of-four shooting.
 
After dropping their first five decisions of the season, the Lions have turned the tables and have now won five of their last six. They will celebrate the New Year before returning to New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, January 6. TCNJ will visit Ramapo College for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.