EWING, N.J. – It was déjà vu all over again for the TCNJ women's basketball team as the Lions again dominated the fourth quarter against Kean in Wednesday night's first-place showdown, pulling away for a massive 68-57 victory inside the friendly confines of Packer Hall.
 
Nine players scored between four and 12 points for the balanced Lions, who trailed by two entering the final frame but outscored the visitors by a 21-8 count to take home a double-digit triumph. The first meeting was much the same, with TCNJ ending the game on a 19-4 run after trailing by two early in the fourth quarter.
 
FOR THE RECORD

• TCNJ improved to 14-7 overall and 11-3 in the NJAC with its fifth straight win, remaining in a first-place tie with Stockton, which won at Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday. The Cougars, now 13-8 overall, slipped into third place at 10-4 in league play, tied with NJCU

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kean worked its offense to perfection in the early going, making its first seven shots to jump out to a 17-9 lead. The Cougars did not miss from the field until less than four minutes remained in the first quarter
• The Lions took the early punch and fought back, getting to within 19-17 late in the frame as Arianna McCleod scored on a pair of driving lay-ups and Nina Branchizio sank a pair from the line
• TCNJ took its first lead at 23-21 on Julia Setaro's left-wing triple and was ahead by as many as three after Grace Kowalski scored on a sweeping lay-in to make it 25-22 at the 6:28 mark of the second
• Kean got back on track with its pick-and-roll game and went ahead by as many as five (34-29), but a pair of free throws from Izzy Leazier pulled the hosts within 36-34 at halftime
• After Kean scored on its first possession of the second half, TCNJ grabbed the lead on a lefty lay-in by Kaitlyn Deiter and a transition 3-pointer by Leazier, making it 39-38 and forcing a Cougar timeout at the 7:55 mark
• The lead changed hands several times over the rest of the quarter, until Kean managed to grab a 49-45 lead. The teams were set to go scoreless for the final 2:44 of the frame until Deiter rattled home a mid-range jumper in the closing seconds to get within two
• The Lions tied it twice in the early stages of the fourth before going in front for good, 52-51, on a free throw by Natalie Kolb with 8:19 to go
• With both sides struggling for offense, TCNJ led by just one before McCleod buried a clutch corner 3-pointer to make it 59-55 with 2:55 remaining. A free throw by Katie Fricker and one-handed runner from Setaro stretched the margin to 62-55 with 1:31 to go
• Kean got within 62-57 but effectively ended its chances at a comeback with an intentional foul with 26.1 seconds left. Setaro made both free throws, then Branchizio hit two after another foul, and it was all but over

FOR THE FOES

• Riley Ahrens (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Shahd Badeer (14 points, 13 rebounds) each posted a double-double, with Badeer also putting up five blocks and five assists
• Gigi Gamble, the five-time reigning NJAC Rookie of the Week, scored just eight points on 4-of-15 shooting, more than 10 below her average

STANDOUT LIONS

• Branchizio netted a team-high 12 points
• Setaro scored 10 on just five field-goal attempts
• Kolb and Leazier scored eight points apiece, and McCleod and Fricker posted seven each off the bench
• Deiter grabbed 12 rebounds to go with six points
• Fricker (six rebounds) and Isabella Cafaro (five) were active on the glass

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kean shot 9-for-13 in the first quarter but just 14-for-45 after that and was just 3-of-11 from 3-point range
• TCNJ shot just 33.3 percent for the night (23-for-69) but grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and committed only seven turnovers to 14 for the Cougars
• TCNJ got 24 points from its bench

UP NEXT

• TCNJ heads to William Paterson on Saturday