York, PA-- The College of New Jersey women's basketball team was defeated by York College in the season opener Friday by a final score of 65-62. Jen Byrne (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) tied a TCNJ record for most points in a game, as she exploded for 35 points on 12-20 shooting.

The Lions came out strong in the first quarter, and built a 16-8 lead when Byrne hit two free throws with 3:24 left in the opening quarter. The second quarter was controlled by York, as they opened with a 9-0 run to gain a 21-18 lead. In the third period, neither squad was able to gain a significant advantage, as the largest lead was seven points, and TCNJ trailed 43-38 heading into the fourth quarter. 

Byrne found fire in the final quarter, as she hit two three-pointers in a minute to put the Lions up 46-45 with seven minutes remaining. Despite the York attempts to put the game away, the Lions refused to go down quietly. Byrne converted on an old fashioned three point play to pull the Lions up 51-50. With just over a minute remaining, she connected on another three-pointer to pull the Lions within 61-59. The Lions got the crucial defensive stop to get the ball back, however could not tie it up. After Bynre hit yet another three with 14 seconds to pull the Lions within one, York hit both of their free throws to leave the Lions had one more chance to tie it up and force overtime. Byrne had a look from three point range at the buzzer yet could not get it to fall. 

Byrne tied a school record held by Hillary Klimowicz since the 2008-09 season. The sophomore forward shot 4-6 from three point range, a perfect 7-7 from the line, and scored 17 of her 35 points in the fourth quarter. Nikki Schott (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills) had a big game on the glass with a team-high 10 rebounds, and played solid defense in the paint with three blocks. Shannon Devitt (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) contributed to the rebounding with seven boards, and protected the rim with five blocks in her first collegiate game. Transfer Samantha Famulare (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Twp.) added eight points in her first game with the Lions.

The Lions shot efficiently in the second half, as they went 14-30 (46%) from the floor, and 6-14 (42%) from three point land.

TCNJ held the edge in rebounding 39-34.

The Lions will remain at York to face Grove City College tomorrow for a 1:00 pm tip off.