Box Score 

UNION, N.J. – No. 8/8 William Paterson (25-2) gave No. 2/2 Kean (26-1) all it could handle in the championship game of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Feb. 27, but the host Cougars were able to pull out a 70-62 victory to secure their third league title in a four-year span.

The Cougars, who captured their 12th NJAC title (1983-91, 2007-08, 2010), receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers also hope to hear their names called when the full NCAA field is announced Monday, March 1, at 12:30 p.m. via online stream at www.ncaa.com.

Despite suffering their only loss of the year to Kean in the lone regular-season meeting between the two schools (102-66, Jan. 9), the Pioneers were undaunted from the opening tip, charging out to an early 9-4 lead after making four of their first six field-goal attempts. The Cougars three times went ahead, but never by more than two, before an Erin Cook (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) three-pointer staked WP to a 23-19 advantage at the 6:55 mark.

Five straight points, the last via a bucket and free throw by Tiffany Patrick, nudged the Cougars ahead by three (26-23, 5:14), and a later Brittany Powell trey handed Kean its largest lead of the opening half, 29-24. Senior Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills) knocked in a basket, and after a series of turnovers and steals, sophomore BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) was fouled and made two free throws to get within one (29-28, 3:26). The two teams traded three-pointers before senior Stephanie Summers (Atlantic City, N.J./Atlantic City) scored in the paint, handing the Pioneers a narrow 33-32 advantage with 2:00 remaining before the break. However, Patrick scored the final four points of the half, and Kean went into the locker room with a 36-33 advantage.

Back-to-back layups by Haledjian and Lucas tied the score at 40-40 (14:22), but the Cougars scored the next four points, and still owned a four-point advantage at the 9:33 mark of the second half (48-44) when Kean all-American Melissa Beyruti went to the floor with an injury and had to be helped to the bench. Her Cougar teammates responded with an immediate old-fashioned three-point play, the start of a 7-0 run that gave Kean a 55-44 advantage with 8:17 remaining.

The Pioneers, however, did not quit. Haledjian scored five straight points for William Paterson, three coming at the line, before Kean's Naimah Clemons scored in traffic (66-58, 2:12). Following a WP miss and a Kean turnover, Haledjian again converted in the lane, and a defensive stop and Summers layup on the other end capped the 9-2 burst to get the Pioneers within four, 66-62, with 1:05 remaining. A Powell miss was rebounded by Cook, but her three-pointer at the other end was off the mark and Haledjian was unable to collect the ball before stepping on the baseline. William Paterson was then forced to foul, and Kean made four of six from the charity stripe to hold off the Pioneers' comeback effort.

Haledjian led the Pioneers with 16 points, while Cook contributed eight tallies and a team-best 14 rebounds. Lucas posted 13 points and four steals, and senior Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) had nine points and five steals.

Patrick compiled 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead Kean. Powell scored 16, and Clemons had 14. The eight-point margin of victory was the smallest of the season for Kean.