SCRANTON, Pa. – The TCNJ women's basketball team hung tough with Scranton in Wednesday's final of the Scranton Poinsettia Classic, but the Lions fell, 60-47. Scranton, who is receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, moves to 8-2 on the season with the win. Arianna McCleod scored 13 points off the bench to pace the Lions in the loss.
 
McCleod gave the Lions a lead early in the second quarter, scoring the first five points of the period after the teams finished the first tied, 11-11. Those buckets, a three and a layup, came in successive possessions just 25 seconds apart.
 
Scranton pulled ahead with a 10-2 run later in the quarter and went into the half ahead, 24-20.
 
Sydney Blum opened the scoring in the third quarter with a three pointer, but Scranton's lead rose to as many as eight on several occasions in the third. Julia Setaro scored on one of those occasions, and Emily Toy hit a three at 4:37 to make it 33-28. Izzy Leazier answered a Scranton score with a three pointer of her own with 2:44 left in the third, but Scranton pushed its lead to nine at the end of the quarter.
 
The Scranton advantage hit double digits in the fourth, and it stayed there throughout the quarter. Isabella Cafaro scored in the paint with 4:47 left to make it 50-40, but the Lions would come no closer.
 
McCleod recorded her fifth double-digit scoring effort of her freshman season with her 13 points. She's now averaging 9.8 points per game, good for second on the team behind Setaro's 16.5. She finished with 12 points on Wednesday.
 
The Lions outscored Scranton, 26-8, in points off the bench. Besides McCleod's 13, Cafaro's seven and Leazier's five fueled the reserve production.
 
TCNJ now breaks until resuming NJAC play at Ramapo on January 5 at 5:30 p.m.