STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The William Paterson women's basketball team (5-5) outlasted host Staten Island (6-4), 76-75 in overtime, Dec. 22. Senior guard Brittany Harden (Millville, N.J./Sacred Heart) led four Pioneers in double figures with 15 points.

Harden added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore forward Tori Woetzel (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) had her first career double-double with 11 tallies and a game-best 14 boards, while senior forward Alex Milne (Howell, N.J./Howell) collected 11 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore forward Ariana Gomez (Garfield, N.J./Garfield) chipped in 11 tallies and seven caroms.

WP led by nine at halftime (37-28) and by five after the third quarter (52-47), but the Dolphins scored the first eight points of the fourth to surge ahead by a 55-52 count with 6:56 remaining. Three straight buckets by Woetzel, sophomore guard Ashley Palmieri (Edison, N.J./Metuchen) and junior guard Nikole Williams (Valley Stream, N.Y./Valley Stream Central) made it a 58-55 Pioneer advantage at the 2:31 mark, but CSI answered with a layup and three free throws to push back ahead by two (60-58, 0:42). Milne drained an eight-foot jump shot on the baseline to knot the score 10 seconds later, and after two Dolphin misses from the charity stripe and a team offensive rebound, CSI was fouled again. This time sophomore forward Christina Pasaturo made both free throws with 19 seconds left, but Milne forged a 62-62 deadlock with her layup four seconds later, and three turnovers kept both teams from adding to the scoring total.

Five lead changes and three ties marked the first 4:00 of overtime before a Milne layup and two Harden free throws made it a 74-70 Pioneer edge with 22 seconds to play. When Pasaturo connected on a layup, Harden answered with a 2-for-2 from the stripe with 14 seconds left, and a CSI three-pointer at the buzzer finished the scoring.

Pasaturo led all scorers with 21 points while dishing 10 assists. Sophomore forward Samantha Flecker added 19 tallies and 12 rebounds.

The Pioneers took advantage of their opportunities at the free-throw line, making 21 of 27 attempts (.778) compared to Staten Island's 22-for-42 (.524) effort.

William Paterson will face York (Pa.) in the first round of Lycoming's Hoops for Hounds Classic Monday, Dec. 28, at 7:00 p.m.

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