Box Score 

WAYNE, N.J. – Senior Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) scored 24 points and sophomore BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) added 20 as No. 7/8 William Paterson (22-1, 10-1 NJAC) secured a first-round bye for the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament with a 95-81 victory against Montclair State (14-9, 8-4 NJAC) Feb. 13.

The win, the eighth straight for the Pioneers, locked up the top seed in the NJAC's North Division. William Paterson will host a semifinal contest Tuesday, Feb. 23, while MSU will be the second seed in the North, and will host the South Division's third-seeded team Saturday, Feb. 20, in a first-round contest.

A 16-1 run midway through the first half turned a 15-15 deadlock into a 31-16 Pioneer advantage (7:39), but Montclair State answered with 10 straight points of its own, the first six from junior Kisandra Ayanbeku, to get the Red Hawks back within five (31-26, 6:01). However, William Paterson was able to re-gain control of the contest, and entered the locker room with a 42-33 edge. Haledjian was 7-for-9 (.778) from the floor to lead all scorers with 15 first-half points, while Ayanbeku, the reigning NJAC Player of the Week, paced the Red Hawks with 10 tallies. William Paterson shot 51.6 (16-31) percent from the field during the game's first 20 minutes while limiting the Red Hawks to an 11-for-34 (.324) effort.

MSU scored the first two points of the second period (42-35, 19:49), but six Pioneers got into the scoring column as William Paterson reeled off a 20-1 run to build its biggest lead of the afternoon, 62-36, with 14:07 to play. Trailing by a 74-58 score at the 7:36 mark, senior Jackie Berry nailed a jumper in the paint, helping to ignite the Red Hawks on a 14-4 burst that pulled Montclair State within two possessions, 80-74, with 4:14 on the clock.

Lucas got into the lane and scored in transition, and junior Absatu Mustapha (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) did the same following a Red Hawk turnover, expanding the Pioneer advantage to double digits (84-74, 3:33). Senior Catherine Cristino went 1-for-2 at the line and added a layup (84-77, 2:26), but Lucas twice went to the line and made a pair of free throws, eventually giving William Paterson an 88-79 edge with 1:43 remaining. Each team missed a shot before MSU was forced to foul, and senior Erin Cook (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) and Haledjian were a combined 4-for-4 at the line during the next 43 seconds to put the game out of reach.

Haledjian finished 10-for-16 (.625) for her game-best 24 points, adding four assists and six steals. Cook contributed her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and12 rebounds, while Mustapha nearly matched her with 11 tallies and nine boards. Senior Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) added nine points to the Pioneers' season-high points total.

Cristino led four Red Hawks in double figures with 18 points. Junior Jamilee Pflug scored 13, Ayanbeku added eight rebounds to her 12 points, and Berry posted 10 tallies and nine assists.

The Pioneers owned a 47-27 lead on the boards, including a 15-9 offensive edge that led to a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points. William Paterson also matched its first-half shooting with an identical 16-for-31 (.516) effort during the second period, and finished the game 7-for-16 (.438) from three-point range.

The Pioneers will visit Rutgers-Newark Monday, Feb. 15, for a 6:00 p.m. make-up of a game originally scheduled for Feb. 10.