WAYNE, N.J. – A strong second-quarter performance by the William Paterson women's basketball team (13-8, 8-6 NJAC) propelled the Pioneers to a 56-52 road New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win over Montclair State (10-11, 7-7 NJAC) on Feb. 1.  


HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Montclair State held a slim two-point advantage (12-10) over the Pioneers heading into the second quarter. However, the Pioneers outscored the Red Hawks, 17-7, over the ensuing 10 minutes to head into the half up by eight (27-19).
• In the second quarter, William Paterson shot an efficient 4-of-7 (.571) from the floor, but did most of its damage at the charity stripe by knocking down eight foul shots on 12 attempts.
• The Pioneers built the advantage to double figures early in the third quarter and continued to maintain a large lead until the Red Hawks went on an 8-0 run with 2:46 remaining in the game to pull within two (54-52). That was as close as Montclair State would get though as the Red Hawks missed a pair of 3-pointers in the closing 11 seconds before falling, 56-52.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Junior Brianna Smith (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) paced the Pioneers offensively with a game-high 25 points on 8-of-14 (.571) shooting with five 3-pointers on seven tries.
• It marked her fourth 20-point performance of the season.
• Senior Justina Cabezas (Carlstadt, N.J./Becton Regional) recorded her fifth double-double this season after scoring 13 points and reeling in a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with four steals and two blocks.
• Freshman Renee Wells (Leonardo, N.J./Middletown South) added nine points in the scoring column.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Pioneers will head to Ewing, N.J., on Saturday, Feb. 4, to take on The College of New Jersey in an NJAC tilt slated for 1:00 p.m.

 
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