RAMAPO, N.J. – The third-seeded William Paterson women's basketball team (16-12, 10-8 NJAC) fell 74-61 to second-seeded New Jersey City (NJCU) (17-11, 14-4 NJAC) in the semifinal round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament at Ramapo College.  

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• NJCU held an eight-point advantage (30-22) with 4:22 remaining in the second quarter before the Pioneers went on an 11-5 run to pull within two (35-33) heading into the halftime break.
• William Paterson grabbed its first lead of the night after opening the third quarter on a 6-2 run. However, the Gothic Knights countered with 11 unanswered points and went ahead by nine (48-39) with 5:45 on the clock.
• The Pioneers managed to chip into the deficit and make it a four-point game (54-50) with 7:41 remaining in the game, but NJCU outscored William Paterson 20-11 the rest of the way to secure the semifinal round victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Freshman Renee Wells (Leonardo, N.J./Middletown South) scored a game-high 19 points to go with five rebounds and a pair of steals.
• Senior Justina Cabezas (Carlstadt, N.J./Becton Regional) totaled 18 points and 12 boards for her seventh double-double of the season.
• Junior Brianna Smith (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) recorded 10 points.
• Sophomore Victoria Palladino (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) and senior Allison McBride (Ringwood, N.J./Lakeland Regional) chipped in with five points apiece.
• McBride added eight rebounds to her stat line.

 
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