WAYNE, N.J. – Three players finished in double figures as the William Paterson women's basketball team (8-7, 5-3 NJAC) held off Kean (6-8, 3-5 NJAC), 61-57 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) battle Jan. 10.

Junior Julie Rovito led the Pioneers with 18 points on 6-of-10 (.600) shooting, while pulling down five rebounds. Fellow classmate Ashley Castillo netted 14 points behind a 4-of-6 (.667) effort from beyond the arc, and senior Tori Woetzel chipped in 12 points and added seven rebounds. Junior Carolyn Hill pulled down a season-best 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive end to lead WP. Payce Lange led three Cougars in double figures with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Marajiah Bacon recorded 13 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

As a team, the Orange and Black held a 45-38 edge on the glass, and an 18-7 advantage in points off the bench.

The Pioneers took control early, scoring the game's first seven points off buckets by Rovito, junior Carolyn Hill, and freshman Brianna Brooks. The Cougars fought back to level the scoring at 9-9 midway through the opening stanza, and the teams continued to battle back and forth the rest of the way, entering the first intermission deadlocked at 17-17.

The battle continued in the second quarter, as the two squads struggled from the field but were able to earn points at the free throw line. Woetzel scored five of her 12 points in the stanza, while also pulling down three rebounds to help the Pioneers take a one-point lead into the locker room, 30-29.

Kean kept things close to begin the second half, leveling the scoring at 44 points apiece at the end of the third quarter. The Pioneers started the final frame on a 9-3 run however, taking their largest lead since starting the game on the seven-point burst. The Cougars made it a one-possession game (60-57) with 38 seconds remaining, but a free throw by junior Alisa Giordano put the game out of reach and give the Pioneers the 61-57 victory.

The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 13, when they travel to Rutgers-Camden to close out the first rotation of NJAC opponents beginning at 1:00 p.m.

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