The College of New Jersey women’s basketball team secured a narrow 61-60 victory over Rowan University on Wednesday night in Glassboro, New Jersey. The win was highlighted by Amanda Baylock’s performance in the final moments of the game.
With TCNJ trailing 60-53 and just 1:40 left on the clock, head coach Chessie Jackson encouraged her team to keep playing until the end. Baylock responded by scoring the game’s last eight points, including a baseline jumper at the buzzer that clinched the win for TCNJ.
Baylock began her late surge with under a minute remaining, first converting an offensive rebound from Brooke McFadden into a three-pointer. After an offensive foul gave TCNJ another possession, Baylock hit another three-point shot to cut Rowan’s lead to one point with 43 seconds left. A defensive stop set up the final play, where Baylock used a pump fake before making the winning jump shot as time expired.
Earlier in the game, TCNJ took an early lead after a jumper from Grace Kowalski and maintained control through much of the first half. Rowan gained their first advantage in the second quarter but TCNJ answered with a run led by Izzy Augustine, McFadden, and Katie Fricker. The teams were tied at halftime.
Rowan used its size advantage in the second half to dominate rebounding and build a seven-point lead late in the third quarter. However, timely baskets from Kowalski and McFadden helped TCNJ reduce the deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
Baylock finished with a game-high 27 points on 9-for-19 shooting and made three of seven attempts from beyond the arc. McFadden contributed 14 points along with nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Myah Hourigan-Hutton added ten rebounds for TCNJ.
For Rowan, Haley Selmer scored 14 points while Charlotte Carlies recorded six points, fifteen rebounds, and four blocks.
TCNJ shot 32.3 percent from the field and converted seven of seventeen three-point attempts. Rowan held advantages in both total rebounds (54-36) and points in the paint (40-16), but committed twenty turnovers that led to fourteen points for TCNJ.
TCNJ will return home to face Rutgers-Newark on Saturday, January 10 at 1 p.m.
