Game Notes (PDF) 

No. 8/8 William Paterson (25-1, 12-1 NJAC), the top seed in the North Division, will face No. 2/2 Kean (25-1, 13-0 NJAC), the overall top seed and the South Division champion, Saturday, Feb. 27, in the championship game of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. Tip-off at Kean's Harwood Arena will be at 7:00 p.m. 

Live statistics of the game will be available at http://sidearmstats.com/kean/wbball/index.htm, and a live video feed can be seen at http://www.keanathletics.com/general_news/012309live.

Scouting No. 8/8 William Paterson
The Pioneers are 25-1 overall and 12-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) following a 75-60 home semifinal victory against South No. 2 Seed Rowan (17-9) Feb. 23. William Paterson was eighth in both the current USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the D3hoops.com Top 25 Polls. Led by 2010 NJAC Coach of the Year Erin Monahan, the Pioneers, winners of 11 straight, are the North Division's top seed for the NJAC Tournament and received a first-round bye. WP's lone loss this season was at Kean Jan. 9, a 102-66 decision. 

The 2009 NJAC and the ECAC Metro Region Rookie of the Year as well as a member of the 2009-10 All-NJAC First Team, sophomore 5-4 guard BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) leads the Pioneers with 16.1 points (second in NJAC) and 2.6 steals (fourth in conference) per game, adding 2.0 assists per contest while shooting 42.0 (47-112) percent from three-point range (third in league). Senior 5-4 guard Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills), a second-team all-NJAC pick this winter, is contributing 13.2 points and 4.3 assists (third in conference) per contest while leading the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.82, 29th in Division III). Senior 5-7 guard Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) is adding 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, and senior 5-8 guard Erin Cook (Princeton, N.J./Princeton), an honorable-mention all-league selection last season, is posting 6.8 points and a
team-high 8.5 rebounds (fifth in NJAC) per contest. 

William Paterson returned all five starters from a team that was 19-8 overall and 10-3 in conference play a year ago, advancing to the semifinals of the 2009 NJAC Tournament.

Scouting No. 2/2 Kean
The Cougars are 25-1 overall and 13-0 in New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play, most recently defeating North No. 2 Seed Montclair State (16-10), 92-68, in the NJAC Tournament semifinals Feb. 23 in Union. The champion of the South Division, Kean is the overall top seed in the NJAC Tournament, and is ranked second in both the current USA Today/ESPN/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the D3hoops.com Top 25 Polls. 

The 2010 NJAC Player of the Year, senior 5-8 guard Melissa Beyruti leads the Cougars with 14.2 points (eighth in league) per game, and she leads the NJAC in three-point field-goal percentage (.444, ninth in Division III) and three-pointers made (3.54 per game, fourth nationally). Freshman 5-9 guard Naimah Clemons, the 2010 NJAC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 13.2 tallies, 3.7 assists (fourth in NJAC) and 2.5 steals (sixth in conference) per contest, while junior 5-11 forward Tiffany Patrick paces the league in blocks (2.3 bpg, 37th in Division III) and is third in steals (3.2 spg) while adding 12.2 points per game to earn 2010 NJAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. 

Kean was 22-8 overall and 11-2 in conference competition last season, reaching the 2009 NJAC Tournament final and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.