EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ women's basketball team started slow out of the gates in Saturday's home date with Moravian, but the way the Lions finished left no doubt.

TCNJ closed the second and third quarters on huge runs and ran rampant on offense after halftime, firing their way to an 86-75 result and its first victory of the season.

Julia Setaro poured in a season-high 25 points, Sydney Blum notched her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Izzy Leazier took over during a game-turning run in the third quarter for the Lions (1-3), who shot 58.6 percent from the field (17-for-29). TCNJ was a sizzling 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) in the fourth quarter, when the home side racked up 35 points to surpass their output from the entire first half.

The Lions trailed for much of the first frame, going down as many as nine points (21-12) on a free throw by Gracie Hezel in the first minute of the second quarter. TCNJ dug its heels in on the defensive end from there, holding the Greyhounds to just four points for the rest of the period and gradually chipping away at the deficit.

Kayla Yoegel gave Moravian a 25-21 lead on a mid-range jumper with 5:13 left, but the Lions pitched a shutout for the remainder of the half and rattled off nine consecutive points in the process. Setaro put the hosts on top, 26-25, with three free throws at the 3:42 mark. Morgan Heller helped extend the advantage with a fast-break layup on a feed from Setaro, then fed Nikki Alexatos for a baseline jumper off an inbounds following a Moravian turnover as TCNJ went into the break armed with a 30-25 lead.

The Greyhounds (1-3) went back in front several times in the third quarter, including at 40-38 with 4:26 on the clock. That's when Leazier put her stamp on the game.

The sophomore slipped free inside for back-to-back buckets around a Moravian field goal, then gave TCNJ the lead for good at 44-42 with an assist to a cutting Arianna McCleod. Leazier then drove and kicked to an open Blum for a corner 3, scored on a fast break with a pass from Blum, and drove the lane to draw a foul and knock down two free throws. By the time Leazier was done, she had scored or assisted on 13 consecutive Lions points and spearheaded an 11-0 run to end the frame, a span that included points on seven straight possessions.

The surge reached 13 unanswered points when Setaro scored on a hesitation move, but Moravian had one last push in the tank. The Greyhounds got back within three at 57-54 on a pair of Yoegel free throws with 6:25 remaining, but Alexatos buried a corner 3-pointer on a drive-and-kick by Setaro to stop the bleeding. After an Alexatos free throw, McCleod grabbed a miss at the line and put it back to restore a double-digit advantage at 64-54 with 5:15 left.

Following a Moravian basket, Blum drilled a trey from the right wing to polish off her first double-double, and the margin never dipped below 10 the rest of the way.
Setaro netted her highest output of the year on 8-of-16 from the field (4-for-8 from long range) and a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity stripe. Blum knocked down three triples and added three assists to her line, while Leazier made all three of her field-goal attempts.

Branchizio (9 points, 4 assists), Alexatos (8 points, 4 rebounds), McCleod (6 points), and Beth Grossman (5 points, 5 rebounds) all made major contributions to push TCNJ to a 46-14 advantage in bench points.

Yoegel led all scorers with 27 points and 10 rebounds for Moravian, but needed 22 shots to get it. The Lions harassed the Greyhounds into just 35.1-percent shooting, including an ice-cold 2-for-21 (9.5 percent) in the second quarter.

TCNJ enjoyed a 45-35 advantage on the glass and made nine triples to just two for Moravian.

TCNJ continues a four-game homestand when it opens NJAC play against Rowan on Tuesday night.