WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson women's basketball team (11-14, 9-9) held The College of New Jersey (15-10, 12-6) to just 12 second-half points as the Pioneers locked up the fifth seed in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament with a 56-43 senior night win Feb. 19.

 HOW IT HAPPENED:

• WP controlled the game for much of the opening quarter, leading by as many as eight (14-6) and moved in front 21-16 after 10 minutes. The visiting Lions stormed back in the second, outscoring the Pioneers 15-8 in the frame and held a slight 31-29 advantage at halftime.
• Deadlocked at 37-37 at the start of the fourth quarter, junior guard Brianna Brooks (Saddle Brook, N.J./Saddle Brook) and freshman guard Yakira Rosa (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) combined to score nine straight points as WP opened a 46-39 edge with 5:51 remaining. TCNJ battled back to make it a two-possession game, but William Paterson put the contest away with a 10-1 run and easily came away with the 56-43 triumph.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Brooks' career-high 18 points led all scorers, while senior guard Alisa Giordano (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Wood-Ridge) chipped-in 14 tallies, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
• Junior guard Jykayla Elting (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) contributed eight points, five boards and three assists to the win.
• WP held TCNJ to just 27.9 (17-61) percent shooting, including 5-of-28 (.176) in the second half.
• Prior to tonight's game, WP honored its two seniors –Kye Adams (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg South) and Alisa Giordano (Wood-Ridge, N.J./Wood-Ridge).

 
UP NEXT:

• The fifth-seeded Pioneers will play at fourth-seeded TCNJ in the open round of the NJAC Women's Basketball Tournament Saturday, Feb. 22, at 1:00 p.m.

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