Box Score 

WAYNE, N.J. – No. 8/8 William Paterson (25-1) punched its ticket to the league championship game with a 75-60 victory against visiting Rowan (17-9) in the semifinals of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Feb. 23 at the Pioneers' Rec Center. The Pioneers advance to play No. 2/2 Kean in the championship game Friday, Feb. 26, at 7:00 p.m. in Union.

Senior Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) matched her season best with a game-high 19 points, adding seven rebounds and four steals. Classmate Erin Cook (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) contributed her fifth double-double of the season with 11 tallies and a career-best 16 rebounds, while senior Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) posted 11 points and five assists. Sophomore BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) had 16 points and senior Stephanie Summers (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) chipped in 11 boards for the North Division's top-seeded Pioneers, who owned a 49-36 advantage on the boards overall and a 21-12 edge on the offensive glass.

William Paterson scored 12 of the game's first 14 points and led by as many as 12 (22-10, 10:22) during the opening period, but a 10-1 Rowan spurt pulled the Profs to within one, 25-24, with 4:38 remaining before the break. Haledjian spun from the right elbow and drained a 12-footer in the paint, a second-chance bucket that nudged WP ahead by three, and a Cook steal and transition layup on the ensuing Rowan possession made it a 29-24 score with 3:40 on the clock. After an Amanda Jennings basket again made it a one-possession game, Brown nailed a three-pointer from the right corner, and a minute later Cook put back an offensive rebound, producing an eight-point lead for the Pioneers at the 2:02 mark. Sophomore Alissa Lamey answered for Rowan with a bucket of her own (34-28, 1:29), but a Lindsey Callander (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) trey from the left wing allowed William Paterson to enter the locker room with a 37-28 advantage. Brown led all scorers with 16 points, while Jennings was a perfect 7-for-7 to pace the Profs with 14 tallies.

WP quickly extended that lead to 14 by starting the second period with a 7-2 burst, and when Jennings was forced to the bench with her fourth foul at the 15:44 mark, the Pioneers used the two free throws to stake themselves to a 46-32 lead. When Jennings returned with 7:29 left, William Paterson was in command with a 61-45 lead, an advantage it would stretch to 21 during the next five minutes.

Jennings finished the game with 16 tallies and 10 rebounds. Senior Danielle Rohe posted 12 tallies, and senior Michelle Lala had 10 for the second-seeded team from the NJAC's South Division.

The league final will feature a clash of the NJAC's two divisional winners in the Pioneers (North) and the Cougars (South). William Paterson's lone loss of the season came at Kean Jan. 9, a 102-66 decision.