By Joseph Caruso
Sports Editor
The College’s women's basketball team opened up play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference this week, losing against William Paterson University 54-64, and beating Stockton University 69-43, respectively.
A very tumultuous start for the College saw them start the season 0-5 heading into NJAC competition, a stark contrast to their 2024 campaign, where they lost just six games over the course of the entire season.
With that being said, the winless record is a little deceiving as the College has faced a brutal schedule to start the season in non-conference play, while also dropping their last game against Stevens in heartbreaking fashion via a game-winning buzzer beater.
It's a changing of the guard for the College, who feature as many sophomores as they do seniors in their starting lineup, as a result of losing tons of talent from the previous seasons. Trying to get back in the win column, the Lions hosted William Paterson for their first NJAC game of the season on Saturday.
Right from the start, it was a difficult showing for the Lions who failed to build off of a promising performance in their last game against Stevens, especially offensively, where they shot just 30% from the field and 23% from deep, with sophomore Maddie Bernhardt reaching double figures.
Luckily for the College, the Pioneers failed to be much better, shooting 18-51 and just 2-10 from three. The game was tight through three quarters, with the two teams tied heading into the final period.
Unfortunately, the College ran out of gas, and William Paterson closed out the game on a 23-13 run to close the game and secure the victory 64-54, handing the Lions their sixth straight loss and first in conference play.
On Wednesday, the College traveled to take on Stockton, trying to secure their first win of the year. Playing inspired, the Lions finally saw everything come together and were finally firing on all cylinders, leading to a double-digit halftime lead.
The key to the game was a very balanced attack from the College, with three different scorers in double figures, led by sophomore Brooke McFadden with a career-best 15 points. Senior Grace Kowalski also chipped in 11.
Leading 39-24 heading into the third quarter, the College were not going to let their first win slip away, continuing to pour it on with a 21-6 run in the third quarter to balloon the lead to 30, before concluding the game and grabbing their first win in dominating fashion, 69-43.
Contrary to their game against William Paterson, the Lions shot a season best percentage from the field, and shot a scorching 12-27 from beyond the arc. Luckily for the College, the season is still extremely young. Especially with NJAC play just beginning, this is make or break time for the Lions, who need to string together wins quickly. They will have a chance to start a win streak when they are back in action hosting Kean on Saturday, Dec. 6.
