Box Score 

WAYNE, N.J. – Junior Erin Cook's (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) three-pointer would not fall during the game's final five seconds, allowing Stevens (6-1) to outlast a late William Paterson (3-2) charge, 76-73, Nov. 30 in the Red Hawk/Pioneer Women's Basketball Classic at WP's Recreation Center.

The Ducks came out on fire, making eight of their first 13 shots to open an 11-point lead (18-7, 13:43). The Pioneers fought back, evening the contest at 24-24 (8:15), but Stevens scored 13 of the game's next 15 points for a commanding 37-26 advantage with 4:21 remaining during the opening period.

Ahead by 13 at the break (46-33), the Ducks extended their lead to as many as 16 (62-46, 12:18) before William Paterson responded with 10 straight points thanks to an April Smith (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional) jumper, two free throws and a basket by Absatu Mustapha (Somerset, N.J./Franklin), and two straight Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) buckets, making it a 62-59 score with 8:58 on the clock. Stevens' Paige Armstrong answered with two shots from the charity stripe and Brittany Fuller drained a three (67-59, 7:48), but the Pioneers eventually forged a 68-68 tie, and Haledjian's three-pointer gave William Paterson its first lead since the game's opening moments, 71-68 with 2:55 to play.

Two straight Stevens layups and a pair of Armstrong foul shots made it a 74-71 Duck lead with 1:38 remaining, but Mustapha cut the advantage back to one with a basket 18 seconds later. Dani Dudek converted a fast-break layup with 1:00 on the clock (76-73) before William Paterson missed a shot from beyond the arc and committed a turnover. Stevens allowed the Pioneers to stay within a possession, twice missing the front end of one-and-one trips to the line, and an Armstrong miss in the lane allowed WP one last chance to tie the contest, but Cook's three rolled around the rim and out.

Dudek, the Tournament MVP, was one shy of a triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, scoring 10 of her points during the second period. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Armstrong, who tallied 15 points and 15 rebounds. All five Stevens starters scored in double figures, as Fuller had 13, Victoria Webber posted 12, and Sarah Gehring contributed 10.

Haledjian was selected to the All-Tournament Team for William Paterson after posting 21 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Cook chipped in 20 tallies and nine boards, while Smith added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Colby's Julianne Kowalski and Montclair State's Jackie Berry were also named to the All-Tournament Team after the Mules defeated the Red Hawks in overtime, 73-69.

William Paterson will return to action Wednesday, Dec. 3, at U.S. Merchant Marine at 7:00 p.m. Stevens will host Worcester State Saturday, Dec. 6, at 2:00 p.m. 

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Box Score

WAYNE, N.J. – Colby (3-1) survived several Montclair State (1-4) rallies to score the game's final five points, earning a 73-69 overtime women's basketball victory Nov. 30 in the Red Hawk/Pioneer Classic at William Paterson's Recreation Center.

Junior guard Sam Allen led the Mules with 19 points, adding seven rebounds, while all-tournament team selection Julianne Kowalski posted 12 points and nine rebounds for Colby. Freshman forward Rachael Mack added seven tallies, three assists and a game-best 11 rebounds.

For Montclair State, sophomore Jamilee Pflug posted 18 points and four assists. Junior guard Jackie Berry added 17 tallies, six rebounds and four assists to earn a selection to the All-Tournament Team. Junior forward Catherine Cristino scored 11 points, and freshman guard Jaime Ericson chipped in 10 tallies.

Trailing by four (28-24) at halftime, Montclair State opened the second period with a 10-5 burst to take its first lead of the game, 34-33, with 16:52 on the clock. Four lead changes marked the next 2:23 until the Red Hawks seemingly took control of the contest with a 9-2 run, opening up an eight-point bulge with 12:30 remaining. Colby mounted a comeback of its own, eventually pushing ahead 59-51 (4:12), and was still leading by the same margin at the 2:54 mark (63-55) when MSU's Pflug kick-started a Red Hawk run with a three-pointer, followed by a Jenna Totaro traditional three-point play and a Pflug free throw, for a 63-62 Colby edge with 1:07 to play. The Mules made a pair of shots from the charity strip to extend their lead to three (65-62, 18.8 seconds) before Montclair's Cristino drained a trey from the left corner with 9.3 ticks left, forging a 65-65 tie. Allen's three-pointer from the top of the key hit the back iron as time expired for Colby, and the two teams headed to overtime.

Neither team could get on the scoreboard until the 3:38 mark of the extra session, when Berry converted a layup to give Montclair a two-point lead (67-65). A Jilian Vaughan free throw and two successful Kowalski trips to the line pushed Colby ahead by one (68-67, 1:41), but Berry answered with two free throws of her own (69-68, 1:23). Kowalski rolled to the basket for two points (70-69, 56.8), giving Colby a lead it would not relinquish. The Mules made three of four free throws down the stretch, securing the win.

Colby scored the game's first eight points, sprinting out to a 21-6 lead with 10:18 remaining in the opening period. However, Montclair State began to chip away at the 15-point lead, scoring eight unanswered to eventually get within four at 23-19 with 5:08 on the clock. The Mules responded with five straight points from Allen to extend the lead back to nine (28-19, 3:19), but a Cristino three-pointer and two Berry free throws made it a 28-24 Colby edge at halftime.

Montclair State will return to action Wednesday, Dec. 3, opening New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play at home against New Jersey City at 5:00 p.m. Colby will host Maine Maritime Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7:00 p.m.