WASHINGTON, D.C. – William Paterson (8-4) came up just short in its upset bid at No. 15/21 Catholic (11-0), falling 60-52 Dec. 31 in the final of the Catholic University Courtyard U.S. Capital Holiday Women's Basketball Tournament.

The Pioneers led as late as the 6:46 mark of the second half (44-42), but the Cardinals knotted the score with a pair of free throws 20 seconds later.  The two teams combined for one miss and six turnovers before Emily Grabiak handed CUA a 46-44 advantage with her layup with 4:42 on the clock.

Another Cardinal basket made it a 48-44 score with 2:59 left, but junior guard Floriana Borova (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) answered with a three-pointer to pull WP within one 18 seconds later.  Catholic missed its next attempt but the Pioneers were whistled for a foul on the ensuing rebound, and two free throws pushed the margin back to three (50-47, 2:30).

The Cardinals padded their lead at the charity stripe, making all 10 of their attempts down the stretch, while WP missed six of its final seven field goals.

Junior forward Dana Jeter (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) led the Pioneers with 16 points, adding 11 rebounds.  She joined sophomore forward Ashley Marfo (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) on the All-Tournament Team, as Marfo contributed 12 tallies and a team-best 12 rebounds.  Borova finished with 15 points and four assists.

Kelli Josephsen paced Catholic with 15 points, and Jill Woerner tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds.

William Paterson led for the first 11:25 of the contest, but the Cardinals scored the final seven points of the opening period to carry a 26-20 advantage into the break.  CUA led by as many as 10 three times early in the second half, but Marfo's three-point play capped a 14-1 Pioneer burst and handed WP a 41-38 lead with 8:30 to play.

William Paterson will play at New Jersey City Saturday, Jan. 5, at 2:00 p.m.

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