EWING, N.J. – The William Paterson women's basketball team (2-6, 2-6 NJAC) fell on the road to The College of New Jersey (8-0, 8-0 NJAC), 61-49, in the regular season finale for both team Feb. 27.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• TCNJ raced out to a 15-point first-quarter advantage (17-2, 4:41), but WP closed the period on a 5-0 burst and trailed 17-9.
• With Lions in front 23-9 midway through the second, the Pioneers finished the half on a 16-2 run, capped off by a driving layup from Justina Cabezas (Carlstadt, N.J./Becton Regional), and trailed 25-22 at the break.
• The College of New Jersey controlled the third period, knocking down 9-of-13 (.692) attempts from the field and  limiting William Paterson to 23-percent (3-13) shooting, to outscore the Pioneers 26-9 in the frame and take 51-31 lead into the final period.
• TCNJ kept a 20+-point lead from most of final stanza before settling on a 12-point triumph.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Brianna Smith (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) led WP with 19 points and five assists, while Cabezas contributed seven rebounds and six tallies.

UP NEXT:

• WP now awaits the announcement of the NJAC Tournament field. Quarterfinals are slated to begin on Friday, March 5.

FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:

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