EWING, N.J. - The top-seeded TCNJ women's basketball team used a dominant second half to pull away from Kean in its NJAC Semifinal matchup against the fifth-seeded Cougars Wednesday night, pouring in 45 points over the final 20 minutes to cruise to a 79-56 win. The victory extends the Lions' win streak to 10 and secures them a spot in the NJAC title game for the third time in the last four years.
 
Katie Fricker led all scorers with 20 points and was joined in double figures by Grace Kowalski (18) and Arianna McCleod (15). Four different Lions grabbed at least seven rebounds paced by a season-high nine from Jacyln Feit, while Fricker and Maya Hourigan-Hutton shared the team-lead in assists at three apiece.
 
Despite what the final score might suggest, points were few and far between in an opening quarter that saw both sides shoot a combined 30.6% (11-36). The score was 6-4 in favor of Kean (13-14, 9-9 NJAC) over six minutes into the quarter before Fricker ignited a quick 8-3 run with her first of two consecutive and-one conversions to take a 12-9 lead.
 
The Cougars briefly retook the lead at 13-12 before a 5-0 run that came via a Kowalski triple and 2-2 visit to the free throw line from McCleod sent TCNJ (21-5, 16-2) into the break up 17-13.
 
TCNJ saw its lead grow to as much as 12 in the second quarter following a 9-0 run that was capped off by a Nina Branchizio jumper made it 30-18, but a timely 3-pointer by Kean's Jordyn Keating would halt the run and cut the lead to nine where it would remain until halftime.
 
Feit, who was 0-6 in the first half, started the second with back-to-back buckets to build the lead to 38-25 just under a minute in. The Cougars had a response in Maddison Vaughn, however, with the senior scoring eight straight points as part of a 12-3 run that trimmed the lead down to four at 41-37. That was as close as Kean would get.
 
The Lions, who had been held to just three points for nearly five minutes during the run, held the Cougars without a point for the final 5:10 of the third, getting buckets from Fricker, Kowalski, Branchizio and Feit to end the frame on a 12-0 run and take a 53-17 lead into the fourth.
 
TCNJ's offense was at its best in the fourth quarter, shooting 60% from the field and scoring 26 points to pull away en route to the 23-point win. Fricker (7), Kowalski (6) and Amanda Baylock (4) combined for 17 of the Lions' points in the frame to help close out the dominant victory.
 
FOR THE FOES

• Amanda Vaughn proved why she was the NJAC's Co-Defensive Player of the Year, stuffing the stat sheet with 18 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks.
• Erika Mercedes added 16 points and seven rebounds.
• In her final game at Kean, Brittany Gaff posted 14 points, five assists and one steal.

STANDOUT LIONS

• Fricker finished with 20 points on 8-11 shooting to pair with seven rebounds and three helpers.
• Kowalski sank three triples en route to her 18 points, adding a season-high eight rebounds.
• McCleod also narrowly missed out on a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds.
• Feit paired her eight points with a team-high nine rebounds and four rejections.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ shot 40.3% (29-72) from the field and 23.5% (4-17) from beyond the arc.
  • The Lions' four made threes are a season-low.
• Kean shot 32.9% (24-73) from the floor and 17.4% (4-23) from deep.
• The Lions dominated both points in the paint (48-30) and fastbreak points (23-10).
• TCNJ's 52 rebounds and seven blocks are both season-high marks.

NOTES

• Branchizio was held without a made 3-pointer for the first time in over a year, ending a streak of 30 consecutive games dating back to February 3, 2024.
• With the win, the Lions will be hosting the NJAC Championship for the second straight season.

UP NEXT

• TCNJ is back at Packer Hall Saturday, March 1 to take on second-seeded Montclair State as the Lions hunt for their first conference title since the 2008-09 season. Tip-off for the Championship is at 4 p.m.