EWING, N.J. - The TCNJ women's basketball team hosted NJAC leaders William Paterson in a pivotal conference bout Wednesday afternoon, completing the season sweep of the Pioneers with a 69-54 win at Packer Hall.
 
In a game in which seven Lions scored at least six points, it was Grace Kowalski leading TCNJ (12-5, 8-2 NJAC) with 15 followed closely by Arianna McCleod's 12. Katie Fricker finished with a team-best eight rebounds and shared the lead in helpers with Nina Branchizio at three apiece in a complete team victory.
 
William Paterson (12-5, 8-2 NJAC) opened the scoring in Wednesday's contest off a Renee Wells jumper, but it was a Branchizio triple igniting a 10-0 response to give the Lions an early lead they would hold the rest of the way. The Pioneers cut into the advantage with a 9-2 run over the ensuing three minutes before a tough layup from Jacyln Feit in her first action of the season made it 14-11 after one.
 
TCNJ rode the deep ball in a second quarter that saw its lead grow to as much as 11 with under a minute to go. Sandwiched by a pair of Branchizio triples – the senior was 3-3 from beyond the arc on the night – McCleod, Kowalski and Amanda Baylock also struck from 3-point lead to make it 36-25 with under a minute to go, but a layup from William Paterson's Brianna Smith trimmed the lead back to single digits at 36-27 at the half.
 
After a back-and-forth third frame in which TCNJ was outscored 14-12, a 14-3 run to start the fourth quarter put the Lions up 16 with 5:46 to go. McCleod was a one-woman wrecking crew in the offensive burst, scoring eight of her 12 points to help put the game out of reach. The Pioneers got as close as 12 following a perfect visit to the free throw line from Smith, but would close out the contest on a 4-1 run to claim the 69-54 win and complete the regular season sweep.
 
FOR THE FOES

• Brianna Smith was unstoppable on the offensive end despite the loss, scorching the Lions for 30 points on 10-22 shooting.
• Renee Wells nearly reached double figures, scoring 9 points to pair with four rebounds, two assists and three steals.
• Patty Walsh impressed on the glass, corralling a game-high nine rebounds including five on the offensive end.

STANDOUT LIONS

• Kowalski got herself back on track in the win, scoring 15 points with three rebounds and two steals.
• Fricker narrowly missed out on a double-double, finishing with eight points and eight rebounds.
• Feit made her presence felt in her Lions debut, scoring seven points, adding two rebounds and blocking two shots in 14 minutes.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ shot 47.3% from the field and 45.8% from 3-point territory – the Lions' highest marks since December 14th and 18th respectively – while William Paterson shot just 34.5% from the field and 19% from deep.
• TCNJ's bench was a difference-maker in the win, with the Lions' reserves outscoring the Pioneers' 19-8.
• Paced by Feit's pair of rejections, TCNJ's three team blocks tied a season-high mark set earlier this month against Montclair State.

NOTES

• The win puts the Lions in a three-way tie for first place in the NJAC with Montclair State and William Paterson. TCNJ owns the tiebreak over the Pioneers following tonight's win, but fell to the Red Hawks last week.
• Fricker's eight points put the junior just one shy of 500 for her career.
• Branchizio moved into a tie for 17th in program history for career assists, with the senior's three pushing her total to 208.

UP NEXT

• The Lions wrap up a two-game homestand with a rematch against Kean Saturday, Jan. 25. Opening tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.