WAYNE, N.J.  – Despite outscoring No. 25 Montclair State (7-1, 4-0 NJAC) 17-5 in bench points and 34-24 in points in the paint, the William Paterson women's basketball team (4-3, 2-2 NJAC) was not able to overcome the nationally ranked Red Hawks, falling 65-56 Dec. 6.
 
WP's largest lead on the evening came with 1:25 remaining in the first frame when junior guard Ashley Castillo (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) drilled a three-pointer, helping the Pioneers carry a 17-15 advantage into the end of the opening quarter. A back-and-forth second quarter finished with WP trailing 27-24 at the break. Junior guard Sihana Asani (Lincoln Park, N.J./Boonton) led all WP scorers in the first half with seven points.
 
Rival Montclair State put up a strong third quarter to help create separation, opening up the second half on an 11-0 run as it outscored WP 20-8 in the third frame. WP responded with its best quarter of the evening, outscoring the Red Hawks 24-18, although the 13-point deficit at the start of the fourth was too much to overcome.
 
The Pioneers shot a better percentage from the floor than their counterparts, hitting 41.8 percent of their field goals to 36.4 on the part of Montclair State. The Red Hawks got to the line 11 more times than WP though, converting 18 of 23 attempts from the foul line while shooting 7-for-20 from behind the arc.
 
WP had two players in double figures, led by senior forward Tori Woetzel (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo)'s double-double of 13 points and 10 boards. The Wyckoff, N.J. native also added three assists and two blocks in her second double-double of the year. Castillo ended up with 11 points, three assists and three steals, while junior guard Julie Rovito (Ridgefield Park, N.J./Ridgefield Park) added nine points and three dimes.
 
Montclair State's senior forward Katie Sire provided 29 points with a 10-for-24 night shooting, adding 10 rebounds to complete the double-double. Senior forward Taylor Harmon was just short of another double-double, posting 13 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Pioneers have another New Jersey Athletic Conference test on the slate when they travel to Stockton (5-2, 2-2 NJAC) to face the Ospreys Saturday, Dec. 9, at 3:00 p.m.
 
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