HARTFORD, Conn. – Amanda Baylock went off for a career-high 27 points to lead a staunch upset bid at No. 11 Trinity (Conn.), but the host Bantams overcame a 21-point second-half deficit with a furious rally to hand the TCNJ women's basketball team a 79-73 defeat on Friday night.
Opening up a weekend swing to New England, the Lions (0-2) gave the NESCAC powerhouse everything it could handle. TCNJ jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first minute, and Baylock made a trio of 3-pointers as the blue and gold seized a 25-12 upper hand by the end of the first quarter.
Trinity, playing its season opener, got within eight several times early in the second stanza, only for
Katie Fricker to knock down three buckets as part of a quick 10-0 burst to extend the margin out to 39-21. Baylock's next triple made it 42-23 before Trinity scored to end the half with the Lions up by 17.
Two free throws by Fricker and a basket from
Maddie Bernhardt handed TCNJ its largest lead of the night at 46-25 coming out of the break, and TCNJ still held a sizeable advantage at 57-43 with 1:53 left in the third on a triple by Fricker.
The Bantams, however, ran off eight unanswered points to end the period and opened the fourth on a 10-3 spurt to get within 62-61. Fricker briefly stopped the bleeding with a bucket on an assist from
Grace Kowalski, but the hosts took the lead for good (67-66) at with 4:24 to go and polished off an 11-0 extended run to put TCNJ in a 74-66 hole with less than two minutes to play.
Baylock's sixth and final 3-pointer got TCNJ within 76-73, but Trinity added a free throw and got a stop on the other end to seal it.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- TCNJ shot 38.2 percent from the field (26-of-68), 27.8 percent from 3-point range (10-of-36), and 61.1 percent from the line (11-for-18)
- Trinity was 43.9 percent from the floor (29-for-66), 15.4 percent from distance (2-of-13), and 76.0 percent at the line (19-for-25)
- The Lions made 10 3-pointers to just two for Trinity, but the Bantams made up for that on the glass, more than doubling up TCNJ on the boards (53-26) and racking up 20 second-chance points
- TCNJ forced 21 turnovers while committing 15
FOR THE FOES
- Avery Marzo led Trinity in points (25) and rebounds (10)
- Kiki Fossbender added 18 points and Marlo Simms paired 15 points with 13 rebounds
STANDOUT LIONS
- Baylock's career-high 27 points came on 9-of-19 shooting and 6-of-14 from long range; she also notched team highs in assists (5) and steals (3)
- Fricker coupled 17 points with seven rebounds
- Bernhardt and Kowalski scored seven points each, with Kowalski swiping three steals
- Brooke McFadden grabbed six rebounds to go with four points and three assists
UP NEXT
- The Lions have a quick turnaround on Saturday, traveling to Rhode Island College for a 1 p.m. tip
