EWING (NJ) – The College of New Jersey erased an eight-point halftime deficit with a 20-6 run to open the second half, en route to a 62-58 win over visiting Delaware Valley College.
The Aggies fell to 3-7 on the year while the Lions improved to 4-5 overall.
Delaware Valley began the night with a 15-4 run over the opening seven minutes of the contest with four players contributing in the spurt, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Eireann Anastasi and Brittany Wood. TCNJ came back with a trey of its own from Brenna Dennelly, but Anastasi responded with another three on the ensuing possession to maintain the 11-point lead.
The Lions got to within five of the Aggies four different times in the first half, but a long bomb from Kelsey Kilpatrick with 10 seconds left gave Delaware Valley a 30-22 advantage heading into the break.
TCNJ opened the second half with a pair of free throws from Angelica Esposito whileAgatha Drozd hit a jumper in the paint on the other end to maintain the eight-point difference. The Lions then ripped off 11 straight points and Jess Lynch capped off the spurt with a deep 3-pointer for the 35-32 lead with 14:26 to play. Delaware Valley halted the run momentarily with a layup from Brenna Coll, but TCNJ came right back with seven straight, including five from Esposito, for an eight-point advantage.
The Aggies climbed back thanks to their long-range shooting as Anastasi and Kilpatrick each hit a pair of 3's over a five-minute stretch that brought the team to within four, 54-50, with 4:41 left in regulation. Both teams went cold over the next two minutes before Kylie O'Donnell hit a pair of free throws for TCNJ. Delaware Valley responded with consecutive jumpers from Drozd and Anastasi to get within two with just over a minute left.
The teams then traded layups as the Aggies trailed by two, 58-56, with 25 seconds on the clock. They were forced to foul and they got Esposito, who went to the line for the Lions and hit both shots. Delaware Valley raced down the court and Kilpatrick's 3-point attempt missed, but Drozd gathered the rebound and Coll was able to connect on a layup with 10 ticks remaining. Esposito was fouled again and converted both attempts as the Lions defended home court with the 62-58 victory.
Anastasi was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high 22 points to go with five assists and two steals. Coll added 12 points, four steals and four rebounds and Kilpatrick's three treys gave her nine points on the night. Shannon Barlow came off the bench for the second straight game and notched a game-high nine rebounds to go along with six points.
For The College of New Jersey, Esposito and Schott each dropped 13 points with the two combining for 11 boards. Lynch led the team with eight rebounds and O'Donnell dished out a game-high eight assists.