EWING, N.J. -  The TCNJ women's basketball team nearly saw its miracle comeback from a month ago flipped on them in their rematch against Rowan Wednesday night, but thanks to an incredible first-half effort from Grace Kowalski and strong play from their leaders down the stretch it was the Lions pulling out a 69-62 win on their home court.

The victory – which completes the regular-season sweep of the Profs for the second straight season – is TCNJ's sixth in a row and clinches the Lions the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the NJAC Tournament.
 
Wednesday's game saw the Lions (14-9, 13-3 NJAC) take a two-point lead into the halftime break almost exclusively due to the play of Kowalski, who poured in 20  of her season and game-high 25 points in the opening 20 minutes.
 
After fellow double-digit scorers Brooke McFadden and Amanda Baylock scored TCNJ's first eight points to put the hosts up 8-5, it was the junior rattling off the Lions' next 16 in a herculean effort to keep TCNJ in striking distance. Kowalski flexed her chops as a three-level score throughout the barrage, starting with a tough lay-in before cashing in on a triple and middy to put her side up 15-11.
 
The Lions' offense momentarily stalled at the quarter change while Rowan (14-9, 10-6 NJAC) used its height to go on a 10-0 run and jump in front 21-15. There with the answer once again, however, was Kowalski, who answered every Profs layup with a 3-pointer of her own – the junior drained three triples to push her personal run to 16 straight dating back to her first-quarter layup – the last of which trimmed the Profs' lead to three (27-24).
 
Maddie Bernhardt joined in on the action with a three of her own on the ensuing possession before another jumper from Kowalski and a Katie Fricker steal-and-score leveled the game once again at 31. The score was tied twice more in the opening half, but it was Baylock hitting a tough floater to give the Lions a 37-35 lead at the break.
 
An 8-0 burst midway through the third quarter saw TCNJ's lead balloon to double digits for the first time (51-41), but a 5-2 Rowan run to end the frame put the Lions up just seven with 10 minutes to go.
 
The Profs carried their momentum from the end of the third into Wednesday's final quarter in the hopes of mounting a dramatic comeback of its own, opening the frame with an 8-0 run to give the visitors a 54-53 lead – their first of the second half. Tested in the latter stages of the game for the first time since its first matchup against Rowan, TCNJ got a response from senior captain Myah Hourigan-Hutton, who showed off her strength inside by converting and and-one and sparking an 8-0 response to push the Lions' advantage back to seven (61-54).
 
Rowan got as close as four in the waning minutes before Kowalski iced the game at the free throw line, clinching the 69-62 win and a first-round bye in the NJAC Tournament.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57) from the field, 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent (13-for-17) from the free throw line.
• Rowan shot a nearly-identical 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the floor, 30 percent (3-of-10) from deep and 60 percent (9-of-15) at the charity stripe.
• The Lions were outrebounded 43-28 including a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass.
• TCNJ turned 14 Rowan turnovers into 20 points on the other end.

STANDOUT LIONS

• Kowalski scored 20 of her game-high 25 points in the first half, including 16 straight between the first and second quarters.
• McFadden narrowly missed out on another double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds.
• Baylock added 11 points, extending her streak of games in double figures to five.
• Hourigan-Hutton did a bit of everything in the win, posting five points, five assists, three boards and two steals in 34 minutes.

FOR THE FOES

• Haley Selmer finished with a team-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting, adding seven rebounds.
• Charlotte Carlies posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

NOTES

• Tonight's win secures the Lions a first round bye in the upcoming NJAC Tournament.
• Fricker moved into 17th on the program's all-time rebounds list with 519 for her career.
• Kowalski's three assists push her career total to 214, moving the junior to 17th in program history.
• McFadden's 203 rebounds this season are the 13th-most in a single season in program history.

UP NEXT

• The Lions are on the road Saturday, Feb. 14 to take on New Jersey City. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.