GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. – William Paterson's fourth-quarter rally fell short as the Pioneer women's basketball team (1-1) dropped a 73-69 decision to the host Griffins (2-0) Nov. 14 in the Gwynedd Mercy Tip-Off Tournament championship game.
 
The Pioneers began the fourth quarter trailing by a 58-40 count, but sophomore forward Ariana Gomez (Garfield, N.J./Garfield) scored 10 points during a 20-5 run that pulled WP to within four at 66-62 with 3:17 remaining. The Griffins owned a 70-64 edge with 48 seconds left, but senior guard Brittany Harden (Millville, N.J./Sacred Heart) knocked down a three-pointer (70-67, 0:36), followed by a 1-for-2 GM trip to the free-throw line 19 seconds later. Gomez converted a layup to make it a two-point game at 71-69 with three seconds to play and WP was forced to foul, however Gwynedd Mercy made both attempts to secure the victory.
 
Gomez led the Pioneers with 16 points, and senior forward Alex Milne (Howell, N.J./Howell) had 11 tallies and eight rebounds. Harden, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, collected eight points, four assists and a game-best nine boards, while freshman guard Sihana Asani (Lincoln Park, N.J./Boonton) made all three of her three-point attempts for nine points off the bench.
 
Senior guard Chandler DiFebbo led Gwynedd Mercy with 17 points, six rebounds and four steals. Sophomore guard Julianna Hoisington added 13 tallies.
 
William Paterson will play its home opener Wednesday, Nov. 18, against Farmingdale State at 5:30 p.m.
 
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