EWING, N.J. -  The TCNJ women's basketball team caught fire late in their rematch against Rutgers-Camden Wednesday night, hitting eight second-half threes in a convincing 81-61 win over the Scarlet Raptors. 

Katie Fricker and Riley Ahrens shared the team-lead in scoring with 18 points, followed closely in double figures by Amanda Baylock (16) and Grace Kowalski (12) in another balanced scoring effort. Defensively it was Brooke McFadden leading the way in rebounds (8) and blocks (3), while Kowalski added a game-high six assists.

Despite what the final score might suggest it was a slow start to Wednesday's game, with Rutgers-Camden (11-10, 8-4 NJAC) holding just a 4-3 lead through the opening four minutes. A Baylock lay-in would give the Lions (12-9, 11-3 NJAC) a 12-11 edge with 1:21 on the clock before a Courtney Edmundo triple served as the sixth lead change of the frame and gave the visitors a 14-12 lead after one.

Baylock stayed hot to start the second quarter, scoring or assisting on each of TCNJ's first nine points, with the sophomore's solo effort coming to a close only due to a Fricker and-one conversion. Baylock — who had played every minute to that point in the game — headed to the bench for a quick breather midway through the frame and in entered Ahrens. Getting extended run with Myah Hourigan-Hutton battling foul trouble, the junior rattled off six straight points as part of a quarter-closing, 12-2 run that gave the Lions a 36-26 lead at the halftime break.

Rutgers-Camden got as close as eight two minutes into the third quarter before the first of four second-half Fricker triples pushed the lead back to 11 (43-32) at the 6:59 mark. The senior took over from there, hitting two more triples — one off from TCNJ's first half total — as part of an 11-point quarter to put the hosts up 56-47 with 10 minutes to go.

Triples from Fricker — the senior's fourth of the night —, Baylock and Maddie Bernhardt opened Wednesday's fourth quarter with a decisive 11-0 run that gave TCNJ its first 20-point lead (67-47) and all but put the game out of reach. The Scarlet Raptors finally got themselves on the board with 5:59 on the clock, but could never get closer than 14 down the stretch before the final buzzer clinched the 81-61 victory for the Lions.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ shot 40.8 percent (29-of-71) from the field, 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from deep and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the stripe.
• Rutgers-Camden was held to 38.7 percent (24-of-62) from the floor, 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent (7-of-9) at the free throw line.
• TCNJ held a narrow 40-37 edge on the glass, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds which they converted into 24 second-chance points.

STANDOUT LIONS

• Ahrens scored a season-high 18 points off the bench, going 6-for-10 from the field.
• Fricker paired her 18 points with four steals — the senior's most since November.
• Baylock scored 16 for the second time in three games, draining four triples.
• Kowalski stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists.

FOR THE FOES

• Edmundo was dominant for the Scarlet Raptors, posting a 26-point, 17-rebound double-double.

UP NEXT

• TCNJ is on the road Saturday, Feb. 7 to take on Rutgers-Newark, with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m.