Box Score
EWING, N.J. – Despite a dramatic run that transformed a 14-point deficit into a six-point lead, William Paterson (14-5, 6-1 NJAC) could not hold off The College of New Jersey (14-3, 6-1 NJAC), suffering its first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) loss in a 69-65 women's basketball contest Jan. 24.
The Pioneers trailed 35-23 at halftime, and the Lions expanded that lead to 14 during the opening moments of the second period (39-25, 18:49) before William Paterson put together a 16-3 run, pulling to within one at 42-41 with 15:10 to play. Sophomore forward
April Smith's (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional) pair of free throws handed the Pioneers their first lead of the game 24 seconds later, and a later 9-2 spurt, capped by a
Jillian Kane (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) three-pointer, gave William Paterson its biggest lead of the contest at 52-46 with 9:56 on the clock.
With WP owning a 57-53 edge at the 6:09 mark, TCNJ scored the next five points to snatch away the lead and push ahead by one (58-57, 4:11). Two
BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) free throws momentarily gave William Paterson a one-point edge a minute later, but it would be the last for the Pioneers, as TCNJ scored eight of the next 10 points for a 66-61 score with 1:23 on the clock. A pair of free throws by junior guard
Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) cut the lead to three (66-63, 0:57), but a Nicole Diaz free throw again made it a two-possession game (67-63, 0:30). Smith nailed a layup six seconds later to cut the advantage in half, but Hillary Klimowicz put the Lions in front by four with two free throws with 14 seconds to play. William Paterson's final effort resulted in a pair of missed three-pointers during the game's final 10 seconds.
Smith led the Pioneers with 19 points, while Lucas chipped in 14 tallies. Haledjian added seven assists and three steals to her six points, and sophomore forward
Absatu Mustapha (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) posted five steals, five rebounds and eight tallies.
Klimowicz set the TCNJ single-game scoring record with her 35 points, and added 22 rebounds.
TCNJ took the 35-23 lead into the locker room as Klimowicz posted a double-double in the first stanza of play with 16 points and 12 boards. WP pulled within one point, down 21-20 with 6:24 left, before the Lions went on a 7-0 run over the next minute. The Pioneers shot just 25.0 (9-36) percent from the floor during the first stanza, and each team turned the ball over 13 times but TCNJ owned a 18-8 edge in points scored off the miscues.
William Paterson bounced back to shoot 41.9 (13-31) percent during the second half and forced 13 Lion second-half turnovers. For the game, WP was 22-for-67 (.328) from the field compared to TCNJ's 25-for-58 (.431) effort, and the Pioneers outscored the Lions 26-20 off turnovers but were at a 42-28 disadvantage in points scored in the paint.
William Paterson will return to action Wednesday, Jan. 28, at Montclair State at 5:00 p.m. The game will feature a battle for the top spot in the NJAC North Division standings, as both teams boast 6-1 records in league play.
