UNION, N.J. – The William Paterson women's basketball team (16-7, 12-4 NJAC) erased a double-digit halftime deficit to capture a, 75-68, come-from-behind New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory at Kean (11-12, 8-8 NJAC) Feb. 12.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A 13-3 Kean run that started at the 3:41 mark of the second quarter gave the Cougars a 16-point lead (50-34).
- The Pioneers trimmed the deficit to 11 (50-39) heading into the half after two consecutive baskets in the final 1:13.
- With graduate student Brianna Smith (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) leading the charge with a seven-point frame, WP pulled to within three (59-56) after outscoring Kean, 17-9, in the third quarter.
- The Cougars scored early in the fourth quarter to extend their advantage to five (61-56), but back-to-back scores from senior Victoria Palladino (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) and a 3-pointer by classmate Jade Martinez (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game (64-61) with 8:03 remaining.
- Despite Kean evening the score with 5:30 on the clock, WP closed the game on an 11-4 run to earn the 75-68 road win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Smith finished with a team-high 20 points, adding three rebounds and three steals.
- Junior Renee Wells (Leonardo, N.J./Middletown South) had 18 points, five rebounds and a team-best five assists.
- Palladino went 6-for-8 (.750) from the field for 14 points to go with five rebounds and two assists.
- Sophomore Mattison Chiera (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) tallied eight points.
- Junior Patty Walsh (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) logged six points, 11 boards, three assists, two steals and a block to her stat line.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson will square off against Rutgers-Camden Saturday, Feb. 15, at 1:00 p.m. in a road conference game.
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