EWING, N.J. -  The TCNJ women's basketball team will head into the postseason with plenty of momentum after the Lions completed the regular season sweep of reigning NJAC Champions Montclair State Wednesday night, riding a hot start to a 72-60 win over the Red Hawks.
 
Katie Fricker led the way on both ends with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double, adding a game-high four steals in one of her most complete games of the season. Amanda Baylock (13) and Riley Ahrens (13) joined the senior in double figures while Grace Kowalski tied her career-high with eight assists.
 
Montclair State (15-10, 11-7 NJAC) led 3-2 early following an Alyssa Craigwell triple, but that is the only lead the visitors would hold all game before a Kowalski 3-pointer kickstarted a 13-0 run over the next four minutes to shoot TCNJ up 15-3. The Red Hawks used the trey ball to stay close, hitting three more times from deep, but it was Izzy Augustine and Ahrens coming off the bench and scoring the final five of the first to give the Lions (15-10, 14-4 NJAC) a 24-14 lead after one.
 
TCNJ took over the paint in the second quarter, using an 8-2 run midway through the frame – the last of which came on a Myah Hourigan-Hutton steal and score – to balloon its lead to 15 (37-22). The offense cooled following the senior's lay-in through contact, getting just one more bucket from Augustine in the final six minutes. Montclair found similar issues on the offensive end, but would get timely buckets from both Bella Bruce and Shannon Hughes to trim the deficit to 39-28 entering the halftime break.
 
The Red Hawks' duo of Bruce and Hughes stayed hot in the opening minutes of the third, combining for a 5-0 start to the second half that trimmed the lead to six (39-33) at the 7:27 mark. Montclair State continued to chip away at TCNJ's lead, getting within one with 1:17 to go in the frame, but it was Maddie Bernhardt hitting a tough lay-in before getting a home bounce off the rim on a shot from beyond to close out the quarter on a personal 5-0 run and give the Lions a 53-47 lead heading into the fourth.
 
A 10-2 burst over the opening five minutes of Wednesday's final quarter likely put the game out of reach, with the Red Hawks only getting as close as nine down the stretch before the final buzzer clinched the 72-60 win and regular season sweep of Montclair State.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Lions shot 44.1 percent (30-of-68) from the floor, 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from beyond the arc and 46.7 percent (7-of-15) percent from the free throw line.
• The Red Hawks were held to just 33.3 percent (22-of-66) overall, 30 percent (9-of-30) from deep and 63.6 percent (7-of-11) at the charity stripe.
• TCNJ dominated the paint to the tune of a 46-24 edge, also outscoring Montclair State 24-10 in fastbreak points and 28-6 in bench points.

STANDOUT LIONS

• Fricker's 13-point, 13-rebound double-double is the senior's third of the season and first since January 17.
• Baylock reached double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games.
• Ahrens has been a much-needed spark off the bench for the Lions, scoring in double figures in each of her last two games.
• Kowalski tallied a game-high eight assists without committing a turnover, the second time the junior has achieved the feat this season.

FOR THE FOES

• Shannon Hughes posted a double-double of her own with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
• Bella Bruce stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and three steals.

UP NEXT

• The Lions clinched a first-round bye in the NJAC Tournament having finished as the No. 2 seed, and will play the winner of the quarterfinal between third-seeded Rowan and sixth-seeded Rutgers-Camden Tuesday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.