Box Score
WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson junior
Asia Johnson (Wildwood, N.J./Wildwood) had 14 blocked shots, a total that tied for the third-highest single-game effort in Division III history, to help lead the Pioneers (17-5, 8-2 NJAC) to a 68-56 come-from-behind victory against Montclair State (13-9, 6-5 NJAC) Feb. 13.
The Red Hawks led by as many as seven (33-26, 18:41) early in the second half, and held that advantage until the 11:20 mark, when
Lori Custis (Roselle, N.J./Abraham Clark) drilled a jumper for a 43-41 Pioneer lead. MSU responded with a Jessica Garrabrant basket to even the score, and the lead changed hands five more times until senior
Michelle Pellichero (Milltown, N.J./Bishop Ahr) put William Paterson ahead for good with a three-pointer (56-54, 4:38). That trey sparked a 9-0 WP run, and the Pioneers were 6-for-6 from the charity stripe during the final 35 seconds to erase any Montclair State chance for a rally.
William Paterson broke open a 9-7 game with an 11-2 run as four different Pioneers scored, giving WP a 20-9 edge with 11:18 remaining. But the Red Hawks answered, ending the period with a 15-3 spurt as Amy Bonk, Jamilee Pflug and Cynthia Warrington each contributed four points down the stretch to give Montclair State a 29-26 halftime lead.
Johnson, the reigning NJAC Player of the Week, made her presence felt during the very first MSU possession, blocking three shots to give her the Pioneer career record (previous: 107, Bridget Brennan, 1993-97). By halftime, Johnson had eight blocks, and by the end of the 40 minutes her 14 blocked shots tied for the third-highest total in Division III history, four shy of the record of 18 set by Laurie Miller of East Mennonite (vs. Emory & Henry, 1/21/95). Also tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in NCAA women's basketball history, Johnson now owns the William Paterson career (120), single-season (77, 2007-08) and single-game blocked shots marks.
Johnson added 15 rebounds and eight points to her 14 blocks. Pellichero scored a game-best 21 points to go along with five assists and four steals, while sophomore
Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) had nine points and six rebounds for William Paterson.
Garrabrant led Montclair State with 15 tallies. Kisandra Ayanbeku added seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
The win was an important one for William Paterson (8-2 NJAC), the leader of the conference's North Division. Rutgers-Newark (7-4) is now second in the division, followed by MSU (6-5). Thanks to a 79-71 victory by The College of New Jersey (8-2) over Kean (9-2), the Pioneers are back in the hunt for the top overall NJAC Tournament seed with three regular-season games remaining. WP previously defeated the Lions (71-67) and the Cougars (82-79) this season.
William Paterson will play at New Jersey City Saturday, Feb. 16, at 6:00 p.m.
