Ewing, NJ …The College of New Jersey women's basketball team advanced to the 2015 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament semifinal with a 63-61 victory over William Paterson University on Saturday afternoon in Packer Hall.
 
The Lions remained hot, winning its seventh straight contest. All of those victories have been against NJAC opponents. With its season seemingly in peril in late January, TCNJ picked itself off the mat and won every game necessary to extend their season. They will now visit top-seeded Montclair State University on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
 
Junior Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) hit clutch shots down the stretch and senior Kylie O'Donnell (Magnolia, NJ/Sterling) dropped in a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to give TCNJ the playoff victory.
 
Esposito finished with 19 points, while O'Donnell came one rebound shy of a double double, registering 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Junior Christina Merlin (Bishop Ahr, NJ/North Brunswick) also had a productive day with eight points and six boards.
 
Three players reached double figures for WPU. Junior Mary Haines (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) paced the Pioneers with 15 points and eight rebounds. Junior Brittany Harden (Millville, NJ/Sacred Heart) and freshman Jackie Rodriguez (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) each finished with 12 points. Harden grabbed six boards, while Rodriguez snared five.
 
The intensity was at a post-season level in the opening minutes as both teams looked to establish rhythm. A jumper by O'Donnell put the Lions up 8-6, but the Pioneers rattled off 11 unanswered points. Sophomore Katy Amato (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) stopped the bleeding with a layup off an offensive rebound, but Rodriguez answered with a three-point field goal.
 
Rodriguez played a big role in the first half. She knocked down three shots from behind the arc to spark the WPU offense.
 
Down 27-17, TCNJ went on a modest 6-0 run to close the gap to four points with 2:16 remaining in the period. After a Haines jumper for the Pioneers, Esposito connected on a long three-point shot to draw within three points. Merlin finished the half by banking in a shot with three seconds on the clock and the Lions shaved the WPU lead to 29-28 at the break.
 
Jessica Goldbach (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) pulled up for a jumper at the top of the key and tied the game at 34 just five minutes into the half. Three minutes later, classmate Kelly Coughlin (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) then took a bounce pass from Espositio and banked in a layup to put the Lions up 39-38 at the 11:23 mark. It was their first lead in more than 24 minutes.
 
Both teams battled over the next five minutes as the lead never grew to more than three points on either side. Back-to-back turnovers by the Lions led to a pair of baskets in transition for the Pioneers, giving them a 47-46 advantage with 5:26 to play. Esposito then answered from the corner for a 3 to regain the lead.
 
A pair of Coughlin free throws gave the Lions a 53-51 lead, but Rodriguez re-emerged to sink a long ball to put the Pioneers up a point. That lead, however, was short-lived.
 
After Goldbach muscled her way to a layup underneath, the Lions forced a Pioneer turnover. Esposito was fouled in transition and converted both free throws. WPU gave it away for a second straight possession and Esposito made them pay with her fourth three-pointer of the day.
 
Goldbach finished with seven points and four rebounds, while Coughlin added seven points and two steals.