GRANTHAM, PA. – William Paterson (21-8) got off to a hot start, leading by as many as 11 during the first half, but couldn't sustain that momentum as host No. 19/16 Messiah (25-4) rallied for a 78-70 victory March 2 in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
First-team all-New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) junior guard Floriana Borova (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) poured in a career-best and game-high 38 points for the Pioneers. Second-team all-league junior forward Dana Jeter (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) posted 10 points and six rebounds.
The Pioneers raced out to a 16-5 lead less than six minutes into the contest, holding Messiah to 2-for-8 (.250) shooting and forcing three turnovers during the early going, but eight straight points later in the period pulled Messiah to within two at 18-16 with 10:45 on the clock. The Falcons took their first lead of the night, 25-24 with 7:17 left, and six lead changes and five ties marked the next five minutes. Messiah scored five of the final seven points of the period to create a 38-35 halftime lead. Borova led all scorers during the first 20 minutes with her 17 tallies.
Sophomore forward Ashley Marfo (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) made three of four free-throw attempts to begin the second half, forging a 38-38 tie at the 18:29 mark, but WP could not pull ahead as Messiah's lead hovered between one and three during the next five minutes.
Ahead by a 49-46 count with 11:23 to play, the Falcons seized control with an 11-2 burst, opening up a 60-48 advantage with 8:26 remaining. Messiah shot 44.8 (13-29) percent from the field during the second half, and the Falcons made more free throws (25-33, .758) than William Paterson attempted (14-20, .700) during the contest.
Borova was 15-for-36 (.417) for her 38 points, adding eight rebounds and six assists. Jeter had six boards and three assists, and Marfo added five tallies to her 13 rebounds. Freshmen guard Sara Luberto (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park) finished with eight points, and junior guard Kristine Jackiewicz (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) contributed seven boards.
Dori Gyori led Messiah with 23 points, adding 11 rebounds. Kira Maier finished with 18 tallies and 13 boards.
The Pioneers were making their sixth NCAA Tournament trip in a seven-year span and their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance overall (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), all under the direction of 20th-year head coach Erin Monahan. WP earned an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA Tournament, despite losing two all-Americans to graduation a year ago and playing without a senior on its current roster.
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