Box Score
Nov. 15, 2011

Box Score

NEW YORK, N.Y. - As season openers go, Tuesday night's for the Lehman women's basketball team was one to forget. 

Taking on a perennial power of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, the College of New Jersey, the Lightning never got on track in falling 75-54.

Lehman managed to stay close for much of the first half, finding itself down only 21-17 after Shalaya Nieves layup with 3:40 remaining.  But the Lions closed the opening 20 minutes on an 8-2 run before blowing the game open over the first five minutes that followed the halftime intermission.  When Tiffany DeTulio dropped in a layup with 14:56 to go, Lehman found itself down 48-24.

The Lightning did have two separate moments when it looked as if it would get back in the game, the first coming with a mini 8-0 run spearheaded by Alicia McDaniel and Shatasia Little.  However, TCNJ quickly regained control and an 18 point lead when Liz West converted on a tough layup and foul with 13:28 on the clock.

Lehman's final chance to make a game of it presented itself with just over nine minutes left, and again McDaniel was in the middle of the happenings.  But following McDaniel's layup at 9:08 of the second half that pulled the Lightning within 13, the Lions' Hannah Tait scored three straight baskets – a three pointer followed by two layups – that snuffed out the potential rally and increased her team's lead back to 61-41.

Despite the loss, McDaniel showed why head coach Eric Harrison is so happy to have her back in the fold in 2011-12 as she routinely used her size to back her way into the post for easy baskets.  Leading the way statistically for the Lightning was Little, who notched a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Non-conference action will continue for the Lightning when the team travels to Rutgers-Newark University on Friday for its annual Tip-Off Tournament.