Video Highlights

WAYNE, N.J. – Junior guard Alisa Giordano (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Wood-Ridge) scored 14 of her team-high 19 points in the second half as William Paterson (12-9, 8-6 NJAC) continued its march towards a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) playoff berth by knocking off Rutgers-Newark 66-55 Jan. 30

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Sophomore Brianna Brooks (Saddle Brook, N.J./Saddle Brook) scored six straight points as WP raced out to a commanding 10-0 advantage. RUN would attempt to rally, but CeCe Green's (Boonton, N.J./Boonton) layup gave the home team a 19-8 lead after 10 minutes. Ema Jacketti's (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) three-pointer helped William Paterson to its largest lead of the half, 24-11, with 7:53 remaining, but a late Scarlet Raiders push closed the gap as the Pioneers led 30-23 at the break.
• After Rutgers-Newark made it a two-possession game, 43-39, early in the fourth, senior Julie Rovito (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) tallied eight points during a 14-4 burst that put WP up 14 with 2:41 remaining. Newark's last gasp attempt at a comeback was halted when the Pioneers drained eight free throws in the final 42 seconds to seal the win.   

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Giordano drained 7-of-8 (.875) from the charity stripe and knocked down a pair from beyond the arc en route to her 11th double-digit scoring output of the season. 
• Rovito finished with 16 points and Jacketti led all players with 11 boards, her second double-digit rebounding total of the season.
• The victory vaults William Paterson into 5th place in the NJAC standing with four games remaining.
• The Pioneers honored members of the University's seven women's intercollegiate athletics teams at halftime as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

UP NEXT:

• WP hosts Kean on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 1:00 p.m.

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• http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia