Box Score

WAYNE, N.J. (DECEMBER 2, 2006) – The William Paterson women's basketball team (5-2, 1-0 NJAC) rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Rowan (3-3, 0-1 NJAC) 67-59 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opener for both schools Dec. 2 at the Rec Center.

The Pioneers had a poor first 20 minutes shooting the basketball, making just 27.8 (10-36) percent of their attempts compared to the Profs' 54.2 (10-22) percent effort. Despite the difficulty, William Paterson was able to stay close to Rowan thanks to 13 points off of 15 Prof turnovers, and were behind 28-35 at the break.

WPU reversed its fortunes to start the second stanza, putting together a 15-5 run to start the period and take a 43-40 lead (13:54). The two sides traded baskets for the next five minutes until the Pioneers scored nine unanswered point to take control of the game (58-49, 4:08).

William Paterson shot a nearly identical percentage from the floor as the Profs in the second half (44.7 to 45.5), but the difference came off hustle plays. The Pioneers forced 30 turnovers and turned them into 35 points, and also owned a 44-32 advantage on the boards, including a 23-4 offensive rebounds edge, against the much bigger Profs. In all, WPU outscored Rowan 20-2 on second-chance points.

Junior 5-4 guard Michelle Pellichero (Milltown, N.J./Bishop Ahr) scored a season-high 22 points, adding five assists and four steals. Senior 5-7 guard Luci Custis (Roselle, N.J./Abraham Clark), the reigning NJAC Player of the Week,added 21 tallies, four steals and a team-best seven rebounds. Freshman 5-7 guard Elisa Brown Norwalk, Conn./ Norwalk) matched her career high with 10 points, and junior 5-7 guard/forward Lori Custis (Roselle, N.J./Abraham Clark) chipped in with six rebounds, four assists and five steals.

The Pioneers will return to action Wednesday, Dec. 6, when they host Montclair State at 8:00 p.m.