JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The No. RV/17 William Paterson women's basketball team (21-1, 15-0 NJAC) captured the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) regular-season title after defeating New Jersey City (8-12, 6-9 NJAC), 83-65, Feb. 7.

With the win, the Pioneers secured the conference's top seed for the NJAC Tournament, earning a quarterfinal-round bye and the right to host a semifinal matchup against the winner of the #4/#5 quarterfinal. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• William Paterson trailed by 10 (15-5) with 2:41 on the clock in the first quarter before going on a 20-2 run that spanned 8:26 of action to grab an eight-point advantage (25-17).
• The Pioneers closed out the second quarter with four unanswered points and pushed their advantage to 16 (40-24) after opening the third frame with four consecutive points.
• New Jersey City trimmed the deficit to eight (58-50) with a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter. However, the Pioneers outscored the Gothic Knights, 25-15, the rest of the way to secure the 83-65 conference road victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Pioneers' last regular-season title came during the 2011-12 season, when the conference was split between the north and south divisions.
• The last regular-season title with full conference membership came during the 1997-98 campaign.
• WP extended its win streak to a season-best 11, marking the longest in program history since the 2011-12 campaign.
• Senior Renee Wells (Leonardo, N.J./Middletown South) scored a team-high 22 points, adding nine rebounds.
• It marked her sixth 20-point performance this season.
• Junior Mattison Chiera (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) tied-her career-best scoring mark of 17 points while logging five rebounds and four assists.
• Senior Luna Kirby (Leola, Pa./Linden Hall School for Girls) posted a 12-point outing to go with five rebounds and three assists.
• Sophomore Kaelyn Gowdy (Fultondale, Ala./Minor) finished with 10 points, four boards and a pair of assists.
• Junior Jada Jacobs (Mount Laurel, N.J./Medford Tech) tallied a team-best 10 rebounds and six assists while adding two blocks.
• Senior Patty Walsh (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) recorded nine points, seven boards and three blocks.
• Graduate student Megan Sears (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) notched seven points and seven rebounds.
• The Pioneers are ranked 17th in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Poll and received votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.

UP NEXT:

• William Paterson will play host to Kean on Wednesday, Feb. 11, for a 5:30 p.m. conference matchup.

 
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:

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