NEWARK, N.J. - The TCNJ women's basketball team took on Rutgers-Newark in NJAC play Saturday afternoon, putting together a dominant offensive display in an 82-50 win over Scarlet Raiders. The victory extends the Lions' win streak to three and moves TCNJ to a still-perfect 7-0 in conference action, while the loss drops Rutgers-Newark to 3-11 and 0-7 in the NJAC.
 
Nina Branchizio led all scorers with 19 points – the senior's highest point total in over a month – and was joined in double figures by Grace Kowalski (17) and Katie Fricker (14). Fricker once again paced the Lions with seven rebounds while Kowalski's six assists and four thefts both served as game-high marks.
 
TCNJ wasted no time putting Saturday's contest out of reach, outscoring the Scarlet Raiders 23-4 in the opening stanza. Branchizio opened the scoring with a layup at the 6:48 mark to kickstart a game-opening 13-0 run to shoot the Lions in front. Rutgers-Newark finally broke its scoreless drought with 3:07 remaining in the quarter, adding a pair of free throws before Brooke McFadden and Branchizio combined for the final seven points of the frame to make it 23-4 after one.
 
The Scarlet Raiders scored the first six points of the second quarter, but were held to just four more the rest of the way in a frame that saw TCNJ build its lead to 25 at halftime. Following Rutgers-Newark's brief run it was Branchizio, Kowalski, Maddie Bernhardt and Arianna McCleod combining for the next nine points to make it a 32-10 game. The score sat at 32-14 with two minutes to play before Fricker and Kowalski once again ended the quarter with a 7-0 run – the last five of which were scored by Kowalski – to take a 39-14 advantage into the break.
 
The second half of Saturday's double-header opener was driven by the offense, with TCNJ narrowly outscoring Rutgers-Newark 43-36 en route to the 82-50 road win.
 
FOR THE FOES

• Three Scarlet Raiders reached double figures in the win, paced by 13 from Sanaa Brodie. The junior was joined by Tracey Ilderis (10) and Raihanna Abdus-Salaam (10).
• Abdus-Salaam also grabbed 10 rebounds to secure her second double-double in three games.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Branchizio's 19 points were the senior's most since she scored 22 against Kean December 7. Her five 3-pointers were also her most in a game since TCNJ's November 16 matchup against Framingham State.
• Fricker stuffed the stat sheet in the win, totaling 14 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five assists. The junior also went 6-6 from the line to boost her free throw percentage to over .900 on the season (.907).
• Kowalski also tied her career-best mark in assist with six. The sophomore had one of the more complete games of her young career, tallying 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
• The Lions' 82 points were their most since scoring 91 against Framingham State November 16, with TCNJ also shooting 44% from the field in the offensive showcase.
• Despite outrebounding Rutgers-Newark 43-39, the Scarlet-Raiders outscored the Lions 10-8 in the paint.

UP NEXT

• The Lions return to Packer Hall Wednesday, Jan. 15 to take on Montclair State. Opening tip is scheduled for 5 p.m.