Ewing, NJ … The College of New Jersey women's basketball team kept its New Jersey Athletic Conference playoff hopes alive with a 51-39 victory Ramapo College tonight in Packer Hall on Wednesday night.
 
With the win, the Lions (12-11, 8-8 NJAC) are now tied for sixth-place with Rutgers-Camden (13-9, 8-8 NJAC) and a game behind William Paterson University. The Pioneers (13-10, 9-7 NJAC) lost to Kean University (10-6, 15-8 NJAC) earlier this evening, setting up a crucial showdown between TCNJ and WPU this Saturday in Wayne, NJ.
 
The Lions took control of the game early on and remained in command throughout the first two quarters to build a 29-20 lead by halftime. A factor in that nine-point advantage was that TCNJ was perfect from the line in the first half, sinkingall eight free throw attempts.
 
While TCNJ led the entire game, Ramapo rallied in the fourth quarter to close the gap to seven points. But layups by sophomore Nikki Schott (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) and senior Angelica Esposito (Lincroft, NJ/St. John Vianney) staved off the Roadrunners and secured the victory. The 39 points permitted was the second-fewest allowed by the Lions' defense this season.
 
Schott and junior Kim Dana (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) led the team in points with 11 each. Dana also had a season-high five steals.
 
Senior Christina Merlin (North Brunswick, NJ/Bishop Ahr) continued to be a strong presence defensively, pulling down a team-best eight rebounds, while Esposito contributed nine points and seven rebounds. Esposito hit both of her free throw attempts in the game, raising her season success rate to 90.9 percent from the line, third best in the nation.
 
The Lions will square off against the Pioneers this Saturday at 1 p.m..