Wayne, NJ … The College of New Jersey women's basketball team chalked up a critical win as they defeated William Paterson University, 50-37 on Wednesday night in New Jersey Athletic Conference play.
 
The Lions (11-11, 8-8 NJAC) moved into fifth place in the conference standings with the road victory. The Pioneers (13-10, 8-8 NJAC) fell to sixth place in defeat. It was a banner night for TCNJ as Ramapo College handed Rutgers University-Camden a loss earlier this evening, putting the Scarlet Raptors at 7-9 in the NJAC standings. Rutgers-Newark lost to Stockton University, 65-54 and also dropped to 7-9. The Lions jumped two spots and currently hold the tie-breaker edge on WPU with two games remaining on the league schedule.
 
Defense was paramount in the triumph as TCNJ held the Pioneers to a season-low 37 points. In the opening half, the Lions permitted just one WPU basket over 12-plus minutes of play. They built a 25-14 halftime lead, led by eight points and three blocks by junior Nikki Schott (Washington Twp., NJ/Warren Hills).
 
The Pioneers drew within four points by the end of the third quarter and a three-pointer by Kristine Ulrich made it a 33-32 game with 9:42 to play. But TCNJ took command of the match-up with a 13-2 surge over five minutes. Junior Charlotte Schum (East Hanover, NJ/Morris Catholic) sparked the run with a lay-up and freshman Nicole Shatsky (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro) followed with a three-point field goal. Schum drained a shot from behind the arc and then Shatsky rattled off five straight points to give the Lions a 46-34 lead with 4:42 left in the contest.
 
A lay-up by Schott and free throws by Kate O'Leary (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) capped the scoring for TCNJ. They outscored the Pioneers 17-8 in the final quarter and held them to 27 percent shooting in the game. Schott led all scorers with 12 points and secured seven rebounds. Shatsky finished with eight points and Schum collected a team-high nine boards and tallied five points. Senior Katy Amato (Wyckoff,  NJ/Ramapo) connected on 4-of-5 shots for eight points.
 
TCNJ visits first-place Montclair State University on Saturday before returning home for the regular season finale on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. against Rutgers-Newark. The two other teams in play for the sixth-place slot in the standings are Rutgers-Camden and Rutgers-Newark. RUC faces Montclair State and William Paterson University. Both of those games are in Camden, NJ. Rutgers-Newark hosts Rowan University on Saturday and then visits the Lions in the regular season finale on Wednesday, February 15. TCNJ defeated the Scarlet Raiders in Newark earlier this season 59-47. The Pioneers play Rutgers-Camden and Kean University in their final two games.