EWING, N.J. – The College of New Jersey women's basketball team won its third-consecutive game to start the 2021 season on Friday night. The Lions topped Rutgers-Camden by a final score of 78-62.

TCNJ (3-0, 3-0 NJAC) used a big 24-2 run from the end of the first quarter to the end of the second to seize control of the game. The Scarlet Raptors recorded a bucket to pull within 23-15 with over a minute left in the first.

Sydney Blum grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the put back to put the Lions up by 10. On the defensive end, Jane Beiermeister came up with a steal, then Elle Cimilluca found Shannon Devitt on the fast break. Devitt hit the lay-up with 16 seconds left in the quarter to stretch the lead to 12.

A dominant second quarter put TCNJ in the driver's seat. The Lions outscored the Scarlet Raptors, 20-5, in the second to take a 47-20 lead heading into the break.

Cimilluca drained a three-pointer for the first bucket of the quarter, then Julia Setaro converted a fast-break lay-up after another Beiermeister steal. With four minutes to go in the half, Setaro assisted an Izzy Leazier three-pointer that put the Lions up by 20. Setaro made a play on both ends on the ensuing Rutgers-Camden possession. The sophomore guard registered a steal then took it all the way for the fast-break lay-in.

On the next possession, Leazier grabbed a steal which led to another TCNJ fast break. Cimilluca found Setaro who finished it to put the Lions ahead, 41-17, with 2:49 left in the half. Setaro remained locked in, and back-to-back three-pointers from the sophomore guard extended the advantage to 47-17 with over a minute to play in the first half.

The strong first-half effort proved to be enough to clinch the victory for TCNJ. Setaro led the way with 21 points on an efficient 8-of-11 (72.7%) shooting from the field and 4-of-6 (66.7%) from three-point range.

Cimilluca dished out a career-high 12 assists. With the 12 dimes, she is now tied for 15^th place all-time in program history in assists with 213. That ties her former teammate and 2020 graduate Jen Byrne on the TCNJ all-time list. The senior point guard made it a double-double with 13 points, which is the first of her career.

Devitt scored 16 points and shot an efficient 8-of-11 (72.7%) from the field. She also grabbed six rebounds. Blum scored six points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked four shots.

As a team, TCNJ had a big advantage on the glass. The Lions out-rebounded the Scarlet Raptors by a 45-29 margin. The Lions displayed unselfish basketball on the offensive end, as they totaled 23 assists on 30 made field goals.

The Lions and Scarlet Raptors will complete the weekend series in Camden tomorrow. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.