WAYNE, N.J. – No. 4/6 William Paterson (8-0) remained unbeaten while handing No. 17 Juniata (8-1) its first loss of the season, dispatching the Eagles with a 71-53 women's basketball victory Dec. 10 at the Rec Center.

Senior all-American forward April Smith (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional) led a balanced Pioneer effort with 16 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes of action.  Sophomore guard Floriana Borova (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) had 12 tallies, while senior all-American guard BriAnna Lucas (Hamilton, N.J./Nottingham) posted 10 points, eight assists and four steals.  Junior forward Tatiana Javis (Hillside, N.J./Bloomfield Tech) contributed a team-best nine rebounds, sophomore guard Kristine Jackiewicz (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) scored a career-high nine points, and junior guard Lindsey Callander (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) and sophomore forward Dana Jeter (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) each chipped in eight tallies.

WP blew the game open with a 12-2 spurt, transforming a 44-35 game with 13:48 to play into a 56-37 margin with 9:42 left.  After allowing Juniata to shoot 11-for-23 (.478) from the field during the opening 20 minutes, the Pioneer defense clamped down, limiting the Eagles to a 21.1 (8-38) percent effort following the intermission, including a 2-for-20 (.100) performance from beyond the three-point arc.  William Paterson made 11 of its 21 (.524) second-half attempts from the floor, and was 15-for-17 (.882) from the free-throw line overall.

Sophomore Kate McDonald led Juniata with 19 points and 10 rebounds.  Senior Meagan Raville chipped in nine tallies off the bench, and classmate Ashton Bankos added eight points.

After the Eagles scored the first four points of the contest, the Pioneers scored 10 of the next 12 (10-6, 14:21), and a later 12-5 run handed WP its largest lead of the opening half at 34-23 with 3:06 remaining.  William Paterson entered the locker room with a 34-28 advantage, thanks in large part to a 15-4 margin in points scored off turnovers. 

William Paterson will host York (N.Y.) Monday, Dec. 12, at 7:00 p.m.