EWING, NJ - The TCNJ women's basketball team hosted Stockton in conference action Wednesday night, sinking a season-best 26 free throws to top the Ospreys 68-52. The win advances the Lions to 4-2 on the season and 2-0 in the NJAC, while the loss drops Stockton to 4-3 with a 1-1 mark in conference play.

Three TCNJ players eclipsed double figures in scoring in the win paced by a game-high 14 apiece from Nina Branchizio and Katie Fricker — Grace Kowalski joined the duo with 12. Branchizio added a game-best four assists while Fricker and Kowalski shared the team lead in thefts with three each.

Despite the final score, it was the Ospreys jumping out to an early 7-2 lead just under two minutes into the game. The advantage was short lived, however, with a Branchizio jumper kickstarting what would unravel into a 16-2 Lions run that was capped by back-to-back triples from Branchizio and Fricker to turn the five-point deficit into an 18-9 lead with 1:20 to go. 

Stockton stopped the bleeding with a jumper by Chichi Wokocha, but it was Fricker and Branchizio — the senior was responsible for 15 of TCNJ's 22 points in the frame — striking again, this time going a combined 4-4 from the charity stripe to end the first up 22-11.

The Lions' advantage hovered in the teens for much of the second quarter before a 7-0 run over the final 2:24 sent TCNJ into halftime up 20. Amanda Baylock started the run with her first collegiate points coming at the free throw line before hitting a triple on the Lions' next possession to make it 41-23. The Ospreys' offensive struggles continued in the last 60 seconds in a quarter in which they shot just 26.67% before freebies from Cassidy Brown gave TCNJ its largest lead of the night at 43-23.

The tale of the tape remained the same in the second half, as it was Stockton trimming the lead to 19 following a successful and-one conversion from Skylar Fowles before Kowalski and Myah Hourigan-Hutton combined to end the frame on a 5-0 run and give the Lions a 57-33 lead with 10 to go.

TCNJ was held to just two buckets in the fourth quarter, but did enough work at the free throw line — the Lions went 8-10 in the period — to maintain its lead en route to the 68-52 win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The transition game was the difference in Wednesday's contest, with TCNJ outscoring the Ospreys in both points off turnovers (18-5) and fastbreak points (21-2)

• The Lions' 26 made free throws are the most in a single game since they made 27 against Moravian in the 2021-22 season.

• Branchizio's 14 points extended her streak of scoring in double figures to six. The senior has scored at least 10 points in every game to start the 2024-25 campaign.

• Four different TCNJ players grabbed at least five boards — paced by seven from Hourigan-Hutton — to help the Lions outrebound Stockton 41-34

UP NEXT

• TCNJ hits the road for an NJAC matchup against Kean Saturday, Dec. 7. Opening tip is scheduled for 3 p.m.