Box Score 

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – No. 9/11 William Paterson (17-1, 5-1 NJAC) pulled into the lead in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Women's Basketball North Division standings with a come-from-behind 67-60 victory at Montclair State (11-6, 5-2 NJAC) Jan. 20.

Sophomore BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) led the Pioneers with 19 points, adding three steals, while senior Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) contributed 17 tallies, five rebounds and three assists. Classmate Erin Cook (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) provided some sound second-half defense while compiling 10 points and a team-best nine rebounds, and senior Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) and freshman Allyson Scerbo (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) each added eight points.

Leading by two (27-25) at the half, the host Red Hawks started the second period with an 11-3 run to open up a 10-point edge (38-28, 17:20) for their largest lead of the night. As they did during the first half, the Pioneers began to chip away at Montclair State's big lead, eventually putting together a 15-6 burst to get within one, 48-47 with 8:36 remaining, after a pair of successful free throws by Cook.

The two teams traded two-shot trips to the charity stripe before sophomore Danielle Sindorf (Burlington, N.J./Burlington Twp.) hit a jumper in the lane, giving William Paterson a 51-50 advantage with 7:49 to play. That bucket was the start of a 9-0 run for the Pioneers, who would not trail again in the contest. A Brown layup, Scerbo jumper and Haledjian three-pointer made it a 58-50 score at the 5:36 mark, and after Montclair scored six straight points to make it a one-possession game three minutes later, the Pioneers answered with consecutive buckets by Haledjian and Cook to help put away the Red Hawks.

Kisandra Ayanbeku posted a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds for MSU, while Catherine Cristino led all scorers with 21 points. Jackie Berry dished eight assists to go along with six points and four boards.

During a first period marked by lengthy runs for both teams, Montclair State started the contest with a 12-3 spurt before William Paterson rallied to knot the score at 14-14 with 13:08 remaining. The host Red Hawks again surged to a nine-point advantage (23-14, 7:43), but the Pioneers answered with eight unanswered points of their own to get within one (23-22, 4:26). WP momentarily took a one-point lead after a Lucas jump shot (24-23, 2:48), but MSU scored four of the final five points of the half to enter the locker room with a 27-25 lead.

William Paterson will return to action Saturday, Jan. 23, at home against Rutgers-Camden at 3:00 p.m. In lieu of admission charges, the Pioneers will ask all in attendance to instead donate to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. In addition, several free events will be held to celebrate “Take a Kid to the Game Day” and “National Girls and Women in Sports Day.” Details are available at wpupioneers.com.