WASHINGTON, PA. – Third-seeded William Paterson (17-12) secured a spot in the ECAC Women's Basketball Tournament championship game with a 69-63 semifinal victory against top-seeded Springfield (20-9) March 3. Senior forward Tori Woetzel (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) paced the Pioneers with 19 points, four assists and four blocked shots while pulling down five rebounds.
 
The Pioneers, the winners of Pod 1, will face Pod 3 No. 1 seed NYU in the title game Sunday, March 4, at 1:00 p.m. at Washington & Jefferson College.
 
The Pride raced out to a 9-0 lead, but the Pioneers reeled Springfield back in with a 9-2 run to end the first quarter trailing by just one, 15-14.
 
WP continued the hot play, starting the second period with a 12-6 burst to open up a 27-20 advantage at the 3:01 mark. The Pride scored the final four points of the half, allowing the Pioneers to carry a narrow 30-29 edge into the locker room.
 
William Paterson got points from six different players for a 17-13 third-quarter scoring edge and a 47-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter. A pair of Alisa Giordano (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Wood-Ridge) three-pointers helped the Pioneers seize control of the outcome, jumping out to a 10-point advantage at 59-49 with 6:38 remaining.
 
Giordano scored a career-best 14 points on 3-for-6 (.500) shooting from beyond the arc, while junior guard Julie Rovito (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) added 13 tallies and three assists. Junior forward Carolyn Hill (Martinsburg, W.Va./Spring Mills) collected a team-high six rebounds.
 
Junior forward Gracie Restituyo (16 points, 10 rebounds) and senior forward Heather King (11 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles for Springfield.
 
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