BOX SCORE
WAYNE, N.J. – A 21-7 run to open the second half helped to propel short-handed No. 9/11 William Paterson (24-2) to a 56-49 victory against visiting Rutgers-Newark (18-8) in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Women's Basketball Tournament semifinals Feb. 21. The Pioneers advance to play Kean in the championship game Friday, Feb. 24, at 7:00 p.m. in Union, N.J.
Playing without the services of senior all-American guard and NJAC Defensive Player of the Year
BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham), WP's perimeter options dwindled further when honorable-mention all-league sophomore guard
Floriana Borova (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) picked up her third foul less than six minutes into the contest. However, the Pioneers' defensive intensity held them in the game during the opening half as they limited Rutgers-Newark to just 15.8 (6-38) shooting during the opening 20 minutes. William Paterson scored nine straight points to erase an 8-6 deficit (14:36), and eventually owned a 17-9 advantage with 8:17 on the clock. Three straight Rutgers-Newark buckets, the last two by first-team all-conference guard Kendra Johnson, pulled the Scarlet Raiders to within two (19-17, 4:06). ShaQuanna Marshall's three-pointer knotted the score at 20-20 with 1:02 remaining, but
Dana Jeter's (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) putback with seven seconds left allowed the Pioneers to enter the locker room with a 22-20 edge.
The two teams traded baskets to start the second period until Borova came off the bench and drained a trey from the top of the key at the 16:30 mark (27-24), the start of a 16-0 burst for the Pioneers during the next five minutes. A Jeter layup, two free throws from senior all-American and NJAC Player of the Year
April Smith (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional), a
Tatiana Javis (Hillside, N.J./Bloomfield Tech) layup, another Borova three-pointer and a Smith bucket handed WP a 38-24 advantage with 12:42 remaining. During the stretch, the Scarlet Raiders missed seven straight attempts and committed a pair of turnovers.
The margin remained in double figures until a Lori Nieves trey (54-45, 2:03), but Rutgers-Newark never was able to make it a one-possession game, as the final six-point spread was the smallest of the final 15 minutes of the contest.
Smith notched her 21st double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-best 17 rebounds. Jeter contributed 11 tallies, 10 boards and team bests of four assists and three steals, while Borova scored 14 points in her 22 minutes of action. Javis provided a much-needed spark off the bench with eight points, nine rebounds and two assists.
Johnson led Rutgers-Newark with 18 points, chipping in seven rebounds. Nieves had nine tallies and eight boards, and Marshall contributed eight points before leaving the game with a second-half injury. The Scarlet Raiders shot just 24.0 (18-75) percent from the floor, including a 5-for-30 (.167) effort from beyond the arc.
