Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey women's basketball team defeated Kean University 72-54 on Wednesday night to earn a home playoff game in the opening round of the 2015 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.
 
The Lions sat at 4-8 in the conference on January 28 and ran the table in their final six NJAC contests. TCNJ finished fourth overall and will host fifth-seeded William Paterson University at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Packer Hall.
 
TCNJ's defense, which allowed fewer than 58 points in five of those victories, forced 19 Kean turnovers and held Kean to just 38 percent shooting from the floor. The Lions also won the battle under the glass, holding a healthy 39-29 margin in that category.
 
Junior Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) led TCNJ's offense, matching a career-high with 23 points. She connected on 7-of-10 shot attempts and was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Senior Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) also had a hot hand for the Lions as she poured in 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Senior Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) did another standout job engineering the offense with a game-high seven assists, seven points and three steals.
 
Freshman Najha Treadwell (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting. She also grabbed six boards and blocked two shots. Senior AnnaRose Pierre (East Orange, NJ/Newark Tech) finished with 12 points and junior Jazmine Davis (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional) chipped in with eight points and six rebounds.
 
Turnovers marred the flow of play in the opening period. A total of 25 were committed, but the Lions were in command nonetheless. Their 14 offensive rebounds enabled 11 more shots than the Cougars in the half. Coughlin connected on four of five shots for nine points to key the offense.
 
Kean chipped away at TCNJ's advantage in the final minutes before the intermission. (Pierre contributed with eight points in 13 minutes on the floor.) But Esposito drilled a three-pointer from the left corner just before the buzzer to send the Lions into the locker room with 30-21 lead.
 
The Lions kept their grip on the game in the second half. Each time Kean built some momentum, TCNJ answered with a three-point dagger. With nine minutes remaining, Treadwell knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to single digits. O'Donnell responded with a bucket from long range to push the lead back to 12.
 
Treadwell dropped in another short jumper with just over seven minutes left to close the gap to eight points. But Esposito struck again from behind the arc to extend the lead back to double digits.
 
TCNJ clicked on the offensive end all night. Of their 27 field goals, 24 baskets were assisted as freshman Charlotte Schum (East Hanover, NJ/Morris Catholic) and Nikki Schott (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) each dished out four. All ten TCNJ players who contacted the floor collected at least one rebound as senior Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) led the way with seven. She also added 11 points, three assists and two steals.
 
TCNJ swept the season series from William Paterson. They defeated the Pioneers in Wayne, NJ 78-67 in the first match-up and captured a 78-68 victory in Packer Hall this past Saturday. The game is set for 1 p.m.