WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson women's basketball team (5-4, 3-2 NJAC) hung tough in the first half, but No. 7/8 Montclair State (9-0, 5-0 NJAC) pulled away in the second for a 68-52 victory Dec. 10.
The Red Hawks opened up a quick 16-6 lead less than eight minutes into the contest, but the Pioneers reeled off eight unanswered points on buckets by sophomore guard Nikole Williams (Valley Stream, N.Y./Valley Stream Central), freshman guard Julie Rovito (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park), junior forward Mary Haines (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) and sophomore forward Maya Harris (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) to cut it to two (16-14, 8:46). MSU freshman guard/forward Katie Sire and Rovito traded baskets (18-16, 8:07), and Rovito's 1-for-2 trip to the free-throw line made it a one-point margin with 7:15 on the clock.
The two teams found themselves tied at 22-22 with 4:48 remaining before Montclair State engineered a 9-0 burst over the next two minutes (31-22, 2:31). Layups by junior forward Alex Milne (Howell, N.J./Howell) and Haines allowed WP to enter the intermission trailing by just five, 31-26.
A Williams three-pointer and a Brittany Harden (Millville, N.J./Sacred Heart) jumper briefly made it a one-possession game at 33-31 four minutes into the second period, but those were the last WP field goals for nearly six minutes as the Red Hawks put together a 13-1 burst to seize control, 46-32, with 11:18 left, and MSU's lead never dipped to single digits for the remainder of the contest.
Harden led all scorers with 21 points, adding three assists, while Haines pulled down a game-best 13 rebounds. Rovito posted 11 tallies.
Senior guard Janitza Aquino paced Montclair State with 18 points, while senior guard/forward Melissa Tobie posted 16 tallies, eight rebounds, four assists and five steals.
William Paterson will finish its pre-Christmas schedule Monday, Dec. 15, at home against Brooklyn at 7:00 p.m.
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