Box Score

Wayne, NJ… William Paterson University grabbed the lead for good in the early stages of the second half as the Pioneers held on for a 71-67 victory over the The College of New Jersey women's basketball team on Saturday.

The teams battled through a tight first half exchanging the lead 11 different times and being tied six other before going into the half deadlocked at 35-35. The Pioneers the forged ahead in the second leading by as many as eight points with the Lions narrowing the gap to a point at 53-52 with 7:53 remaining, but the hosts were able to protect that lead to pull out the win.

The loss put the Lions at 4-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division and 13-5 overall, while the Pioneers moved to 5-1 in the North Division and 13-4 overall.

TCNJ had four players score in double figures led by junior Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) as she poured in a team-high 20 points and added 12 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season. She finished a near perfect 8-of-9 from the floor and added three blocked shots.

Sophomore Nicole Diaz (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) added 12 points, connecting three times from behind the 3-point arc, while senior Sara Best (Voorhees, NJ/High Bridge) and
Kelsey Kutch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) each finished with 10. Kutch also added nine rebounds.

TCNJ returns home on Wednesday, January 30 for another NJAC contest hosting Rutgers University-Camden in a 6 p.m. start.