By Alexandra Parado
Sports Assistant
The Lions wrapped up their second week of play with successive wins over conference opponents Stockton University, 65-47, and Kean University, 58-42.
On Wednesday Nov. 29, the College triumphed over Stockton in Packer Hall. The team then went on to defeat Kean University on the road on Saturday, Dec. 2.
From start to finish, the Lions were prepared to win against Stockton. Grabbing immediate control of the game after tip-off, the Lions finished the first half with an impressive 19-9 lead.
Energy seemed to build as the Lions increased their advantage. Back-to-back three pointers from junior forward Samantha Famulare and senior guard Charlotte Schum contributed to 14 points that were added to the board during the second period.
Led by sophomore forward Jen Byrne, three Lions scored in double-figures.
Byrne finished with 15 points, senior forward Nikki Schott finished with 13 points on a perfect 6-6 from the field and Famulare finished with 12 points.
The Lions did not allow Stockton to catch up. Defensively, the Lions forced 15 turnovers, which resulted in 24 points. Freshman forward Shannon Devitt demonstrated remarkable low post defense with three blocked shots and eight rebounds. Devitt also added nine points to the final score.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, the Lions traveled to Union, New Jersey and continued their winning streak against Kean University.
Junior guard Kate O’Leary opened the game with a three-pointer and got the team to a 7-0 lead.
Kean retook the lead early in the game until the end of third quarter with a 42-39 advantage.
Entering the final period with keen ambition, the Lions went to work.
O’Leary tied the game just 15 seconds into the period. Schott followed up with a lay-up, giving the Lions the lead they would not relinquish.
The Lions closed the game on a 19-0 run in the final period to pick up the victory over Kean with a score of 58-42.
Byrne scored a team-high 18 points, and O’Leary scored nine of her 14 points in the final quarter.
Devitt had the third double-double of her career, scoring 13 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. She is now second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference in rebounds with 10.2 rebounds per game.
The Lions have now won five of their last six games, maintaining a record of 5-1 and holding undefeated record of 3-0 in the NJAC.
The Lions already show improvement from the previous season, in which they were defeated by both NJAC opponents.
