WAYNE, N.J. – William Paterson's (4-2) comeback bid fell short as the Pioneers suffered a 72-66 women's basketball setback against visiting Stevens (4-1) Dec. 1.

Trailing by 10 at halftime (31-21) and by as many as 14 early in the second half, WP mounted a 13-3 run that got the Pioneers to within two at 45-43 with 11:57 to play. The Stevens advantage hovered between three and seven points for the next four minutes, but two Maya Harris (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) free throws and a Sara Luberto (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park) three-pointer made it a 57-54 game with 6:28 on the clock.

Two straight buckets by the Ducks stretched the lead back to seven (61-54, 5:58), and when three unanswered Harris points again made it a two-possession game (61-57, 4:14), Stevens' Brittany Washington drained a pair from the charity stripe to make it a 63-57 score with 3:36 on the clock.

Freshman guard Jackie Rodriguez (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) drilled a three to cut the lead in half (63-60, 3:05), but Washington again went 2-for-2 from the line and junior guard Kaitlyn Astel converted a layup for a 67-60 Duck lead with 2:01 left.

Junior forward Sadi Bridgeman (Washington Heights, N.Y./Mother Cabrini) gave the Pioneers one last hope with her layup with 12 seconds left (69-66), but Stevens went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line down the stretch to put the game away.

Rodriguez and Harris each scored 12 points, and Harris added a team-best nine rebounds. Bridgeman contributed 10 tallies and eight boards, and senior forward Ashley Marfo (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) had eight points, five rebounds and three steals.

The Pioneers got off to a sluggish start as the Ducks raced out to a quick 14-4 lead less than eight minutes into the contest. Stevens' advantage grew to as many as 14 (24-10, 3:52), but a 10-2 WP burst, fueled by five points from Harris, got William Paterson back into contention at 26-20 with 1:46 left. Sydney Darby's three-pointer during the final minute allowed Stevens to enter the break with a 31-21 lead, but the Pioneers were still within shouting distance, despite shooting 7-for-36 (.194) from the field compared to the Ducks' .481 (13-27) effort.

Astel led Stevens with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and junior guard Miranda Ripken finished with 12 tallies and seven boards.

William Paterson will host New Jersey City on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m. The Pioneers will conduct their annual Hoops Mania event, with giveaways for WP students during the women's and men's (7:30 p.m.) doubleheader. Details are available at wpupioneers.com.

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