EWING, N.J. -  The TCNJ women's basketball team opened conference play with a game against William Paterson Tuesday afternoon, falling 64-54 to the Pioneers in Packer Hall.
 
Maddie Bernhardt was the lone Lion to score in double figures on a night where TCNJ (0-6, 0-1 NJAC) shot just 30% from the field and 23% from deep, finishing with a team-high 11 points. Amanda Baylock added nine on the offensive end while Brooke McFadden narrowly missed out on a second consecutive double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
 
The Lions got off to a hot start, using a Bernhardt triple and lay-in from Maya Hourigan-Hutton to jump out to a 5-0 lead less than a minute into the action. Bernhardt and McFadden struck again as part of a 9-0 run that gave TCNJ back the lead at 14-6 after the Pioneers (5-0, 1-0 NJAC) responded to the Lions' initial run with a 6-0 burst of their own, before four straight points from Renee Wells down the stretch gave the Lions a 16-13 advantage after one.
 
Tuesday's second quarter saw the score tied four times – the last of which was at 26-26 following a putback from Katie Fricker – before Baylock got herself on the board with a pair of trips to the free throw line in the final minute, hitting 3-of-4 to push the Lions' lead back to three at 29-26 at the break.
 
Defense remained the name of the game in the second half, with a 15-12 third quarter in favor of the visitors knotting things at 44 headed into the fourth. In those final 10 minutes, however, it was William Paterson converting in critical moments to take a seven-point lead halfway through the frame, with Wells guiding the team to victory from the charity stripe from there en route to handing TCNJ the 64-54 defeat.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Lions finished with season lows across the board, shooting 30.5 percent (18-59) from the floor and 22.6 percent (7-31) from deep. TCNJ was also just 11-for-18 at the free throw line.
• William Paterson shot 35.3 percent (18-51) from the field, 20 percent (2-10) from three and 78.8 percent (26-33) at the free throw line.
• The Pioneers held a commanding, 20-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The Lions had 19 bench points to William Paterson's nine, paced by McFadden's eight.

STANDOUT LIONS

• Bernhardt extended her streak of double digit scoring and games with multiple triples to three.
• McFadden is averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds in her last two games.
• Hourigan-Hutton's seven points are a season high.
• Fricker dominated the glass with a season-best 11 rebounds.

FOR THE FOES

• Wells gave TCNJ trouble all night, pouring in 35 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and an incredible 16-of-17 at the charity stripe. The senior also grabbed 10 rebounds.
• Jada Jacobs stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.

UP NEXT

• TCNJ is back in action Wednesday, Dec. 3 when they take on Stockton in NJAC play. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.