EWING, N.J. – Nina Branchizio matched a career with six 3-pointers – all in the first half – to lead six players in double figures as the TCNJ women's basketball team cruised past John Jay, 92-59, in Tuesday night's season opener.
 
Branchizio connected on four treys in the first quarter alone en route to a team-high 20 points for a Lions squad that racked up 16 triples on the night. Katie Fricker stuffed the box score with 18 points, five rebounds, and four steals, while Arianna McCleod – Branchizio's co-captain – finished with 14 points and eight boards.
 
Grace Kowalski (12 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists) and Myah Hourigan-Hutton (11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) put together well-rounded performances, and Brooke McFadden paired 11 points with five rebounds in her collegiate debut.
 
TCNJ came out red-hot, draining six triples in the first five minutes – three from Branchizio and one apiece by Kowalski, McCleod, and Fricker – and opening up a 20-5 advantage. An 8-2 run to close the period, capped by a trey from Branchizio and a last-second bucket by McCleod, sent the Lions into the second quarter with a 30-13 lead.
 
The spread quickly ballooned to 20 (35-15) on a basket by Hourigan-Hutton, and expanded to 24 as Kowalski cut through the lane for a lay-in and a 53-29 surplus at halftime.
 
Maddie Bernhardt's first career points – a 3-pointer – gave TCNJ a 69-39 lead with 2:05 to go in the third, and the margin never dipped below 23. An 8-0 spurt featuring 3-pointers from Bernhardt and Fricker made it 85-52, and McFadden's five consecutive points handed the hosts their largest lead of the night (92-57) in the final minute.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ shot 47.9 percent overall (34-of-71) and a robust 44.4 percent from beyond the arc (16-for-36); the Lions were 11-of-22 from long range in the first half
• The Lions had 22 assists on their 34 field goals
• TCNJ dominated the 3-point line on the defensive end as well, limiting the Bloodhounds to just one triple
• TCNJ forced 20 John Jay turnovers and converted those into 28 points on the other end
• The teams ended in a 38-38 rebounding deadlock, and both had 14 offensive boards
• Michaela Lattimore had 24 points and 14 boards to lead the Bloodhounds
• Branchizio finished 6-of-9 from 3-point range
• Hourigan-Hutton and McCleod each went 5-of-9 from the field, and Fricker was 6-for-12
• Fricker had four steals to lead the defensive effort, and Kowalski swiped three

NOTES

• The Lions' 16 3-pointers were one off last year's season high of 17
• Branchizio tied her second-best scoring output and made six 3-pointers for the third time in her career; she is now eight treys from 200 for her career
• McCleod notched a new career high in rebounds with eight
• Fricker's 18 points were her second-most in a game
• Hourigan-Hutton posted career highs in points, rebounds, and assists
• Bernhardt scored six points on her pair of 3-pointers in her debut, and Cassidy Brown had three assists and a pair of rebounds in her first collegiate action

UP NEXT

• TCNJ heads to Williams to take on Framingham State in the Morin Memorial Tournament