EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ women's basketball team rang in the new year in style, putting forth a remarkable defensive display and cruising to a 59-34 NJAC victory over Stockton on Wednesday afternoon.

Nine Branchizio led all scorers with 12 points, Izzy Leazier added 11, and Kaitlyn Deiter made it all work on both ends of the floor to power the Lions (9-4, 4-2) to their third straight victory. TCNJ outscored Stockton, 37-17, after halftime and held the Ospreys to 26.0-percent shooting. Stockton's final tally of 34 points was its lowest in the series since 2008.

Deiter was tremendous, stuffing the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, four blocks, three steals, and two assists.

After Stockton went in front, 11-10, on the first possession of the second quarter, Leazier kick-started an 8-0 run over the next six-plus minutes of game time with a driving lay-up to give the Lions the lead for good.

Deiter continued an impactful first half with an offensive rebound and kick-out to Emily Toy for an elbow jumper before her booming block ignited a transition break that led to Leazier bouncing a perfect pass to a cutting Setaro down the left side of the lane. Leazier capped the extended spurt with a nice left-handed scoop off a baseline out-of-bounds play to give TCNJ an 18-11 lead.

The Ospreys used a 6-2 mini-run to get back within three, but Branchizio buried a deep pull-up just before the halftime horn to lift the Lions to a 22-17 advantage.

Deiter asserted herself on both ends of the floor in the first half, collecting five points, five rebounds, and three blocks in addition to a steal and an assist. Thanks in large part to her interior dominance, TCNJ held Stockton to just 25.0 percent from the floor in the opening half, and the hosts controlled a 19-12 edge on the glass.

The themes of the first half – Deiter and defense – carried over after the break. Deiter set up a Leazier bucket with a beautiful bounce pass for the first points of the third quarter and altered several shots on the other end. After Branchizio knocked down a step-back, Deiter made one of two free throws following a strong post move and Leazier whizzed down the lane for a lay-in to open up a double-digit lead for the first time at 29-19 with 6:01 to go in the period. Branchizio increased the run with a twisting layup plus the foul on the Lions' next trip, making it 32-19.

Leazier's left-wing 3 on a pass from Morgan Heller put TCNJ on top, 36-22, and after Jezlyn Cross chased down a long rebound, Sydney Blum made one from almost the same spot to up the margin to 17.

Deiter opened the fourth quarter with a strong post move, and Branchizio swished a deep step-back 3 from the right wing to open up a 43-25 lead with 8:59 to play. The margin swelled to 48-25 on a triple by Fricker from the right corner to polish off a 10-0 spurt.

After a Stockton trey, Deiter bounced a pin-point pass from the elbow to Fricker on a back-door cut to make it 50-28 just shy of the 6-minute mark. The lead reached as high as 27 (59-32) on a 3-pointer by Isabella Cafaro with 27.8 seconds to go.

TCNJ shot a blistering 65.0 percent in the second half (13-for-20), including a 7-for-9 mark from the floor in the fourth quarter. 

Branchizio finished 5-of-7 from the floor, while Leazier was 5-for-9 and added five rebounds. Fricker paired seven points with four rebounds, while Cafaro and Blum each chipped in five.

Setaro scored seven points and was 5-for-6 from the foul line, ending her NCAA-best streak of 43 consecutive made free throws to start the season. The senior had connected on 53 in a row dating back to last season.

The Lions continue NJAC play at William Paterson on Saturday.