Box Score

WAYNE, N.J. – Mount Saint Mary (7-2) ended the game with a 22-6 run to pull away from No. 18/19 William Paterson (7-2) for a 60-44 women's basketball victory Dec. 18. The loss was the second straight for the Pioneers.

Each school had gone a week without a game due to final exams, and the resultant cold shooting and bevy of turnovers saw the two teams combine for just 12 points midway through the first half (8-4, 10:44, William Paterson). Neither team scored for a four-minute stretch early in the opening period, and the Pioneers and Knights entered the locker room tied at 23-23 after 17-for-55 (.309) shooting and 22 turnovers total between the two clubs.

William Paterson briefly took a 27-25 lead after a Lindsey Callander (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) three-pointer less than five minutes into the second stanza, but it was Mount Saint Mary that owned the advantage for most of the first 13 minutes of the period. Pioneer junior guard BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) briefly tied the score at 38-38 with a 1-for-2 trip to the line with 6:58 to play, but MSMC responded by reeling off the next 11 points, building a commanding 49-38 lead with 4:31 on the clock. Lucas answered immediately with a trey, but the eight-point margin was the closest William Paterson could get during the game's final four minutes.

Lucas scored 17 points and dished out three assists, while freshman forward Jewell Palmer (Woodbridge, N.J./Woodbridge) had five tallies and a game-best 11 rebounds in her first career start. Sophomore forward Tatiana Javis (Newark, N.J./ Bloomfield Tech) added 10 points off the bench for the Pioneers, who were just 14-for-53 (.264) from the floor and 4-for-15 (.267) from three-point range.

Charneic McCullough, Jess Tice and Bethany Deer each scored 12 points to lead Mount Saint Mary. Tice added a team-best seven rebounds.

William Paterson will next compete Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Hunter at 6:00 p.m.