MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The TCNJ women's basketball team saw a game-tying shot fall just short as Montclair State escaped with a 58-56 victory in an NJAC nail-biter on Saturday.

The Lions (6-4, 3-2) trailed by eight late in the third quarter before rattling off 17 unanswered points to go up, 53-44, on Nina Branchizio's 3-pointer with 6:01 remaining. Montclair State battled back with a 9-0 spurt of its own to tie it, but Branchizio came through with another 3-pointer to put TCNJ on top, 56-53, at the 1:59 mark.

The Red Hawks (4-4, 2-2) managed to tie it two possessions later with a 3-pointer and scored the game-winning points on a pair of free throws with 5.2 seconds left. The Lions got a good look at a tying bucket, but Kaitlyn Deiter's lay-up was off just before the buzzer.

Saturday's showdown quickly turned into a tussle between TCNJ's triumvirate and the Red Hawks' dynamic duo – Julia Setaro (16), Izzy Leazier (15), and Branchizio (14) combined for more than three-quarters of the visitors' points, while Nickie Carter (32) and Shannon Hughes (17) accounted for all but nine of Montclair State's markers.

Leazier got off to a hot start, scoring six points in a back-and-forth first quarter that ended with TCNJ leading by that measure (17-11). The Lions, however, went more than six minutes without scoring to begin the second, allowing the Red Hawks to take a 25-17 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Hughes and Carter.

Branchizio got the visitors within 27-24 at the break with a late 3-pointer, and the two sides were even at 30-30 early in the third period before Montclair State began to separate, eventually seizing a 44-36 lead on two free throws by Carter with an even 2:00 left in the frame.

TCNJ took over from there, getting three free throws from Leazier, a 3-pointer by Setaro, and a bucket by Blum to get even at 44-44 at the end of the quarter. The break did nothing to slow the Lions' momentum as Branchizio sandwiched a pair of treys around one by Setaro in a span of four possessions to cap a 17-0 spree and open up a 53-44 upper hand with just over six minutes to play.

Carter was not to be denied, scoring seven points during the ensuing 9-0 run to level the score at 53-53 with 2:21 remaining. After Branchizio's go-ahead triple, Hughes came up with one of her own for another equalizer with 45 seconds to go.

Branchizio missed in the paint on the next trip and TCNJ used its last foul to give with 10 seconds remaining. The Lions were called for another, however, sending Carter to the line with 5.2 ticks showing. She sank both, and TCNJ took timeout to set up a final play.

The design was a good one, with Leazier inbounding to Deiter at the right elbow. She took a few dribbles and spun to her right to gain space for a left-handed lay-up that proved a little too strong.

Carter's 32 points included a 5-for-5 effort from 3-point range and an 11-of-14 mark at the line, while Hughes knocked down five 3s of her own. The Red Hawks finished 10-of-17 from 3-point range compared to just 7-of-25 for the Lions.

Montclair State dominated the glass, doubling the Lions on the boards (46-23) behind Teresa Wolak (10 rebounds), Olivia Vero (nine), Mahogany Worsley-Wooten (nine), and Carter (six).

TCNJ turned 22 Red Hawk turnovers into 22 points, largely thanks to the active hands of Setaro and Leazier (five steals each). Leazier also led the team in rebounds (five) and assists (two).

Setaro made all four of her free throws, extending her streak of made foul shots to 36 to begin the season. The senior has made 46 in a row dating back to last year.

TCNJ heads to Puerto Rico for a pair of contests at the Puerto Rico Clasico. The Lions will take on Muhlenberg (Dec. 19) and Susquehanna (Dec. 20) in San Juan.