WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS IN BATTLE OF NJAC
UNBEATENS, WPU PREVAILS 69-57
WAYNE, N.J. (1/27/07) - In a battle of the New Jersey Athletic
Conference's two unbeaten teams, the William Paterson University
women's basketball team defeated No. 21 Kean University, 69-57, on
Saturday afternoon at the WPU Rec Center.
William Paterson (18-2, 8-0 NJAC) won its 16th straight game
behind 16 points, four assists and three steals from senior Luci
Custis (Roselle, N.J.). The Cougars (17-2, 7-1) had their nine game
winning streak snapped, as sophomore guard Melissa Beyruti (Union
City, N.J.) tallied a team-high 12 points.
The Cougars were ranked 21st in both the USA Today/ESPN and
D3hoops.com Top 25 polls, while William Paterson received votes in
both polls and were ranked 28th and tied for 32nd in each on
respectively.
The Cougars took control of the game early, jumping out to a
28-18 lead with just over five minutes remaining before halftime.
The Pioneers' ended the half on a 16-6 run to pull even (36-36) at
intermission, as the William Paterson defense forced Kean to make
just one of its final nine field-goal attempts to close out the
opening half.
The two teams traded baskets to start the half, but when a
technical foul was called on the Kean bench less than four minutes
into the period, William Paterson took advantage, scoring seven
unanswered points to take a 45-38 lead with 14:25 to play. The
Cougars answered with a 7-1 spurt to pull within one, 46-45, with
10:30 left in the game, but William Paterson got points from five
different players during the next four minutes, and would
eventually build a 16-point lead at 65-49 with only 4:26 remaining
en-route to the 12-point win.
For the game, William Paterson made 47.3 (26-55) percent of its
attempts, and limited the Cougars to 33.3 (23-69) percent overall,
including a 0-for-7 effort from beyond the arc.
Beyruti also finished with three assists and five rebounds,
while junior forward Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) added eight
points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Ebony Jackson
(Newark, N.J.), the NJAC leader in assists, was held to no assists,
one steal and eight points in limited action due to early foul
trouble.
In the victory for William Paterson, freshman Elisa Brown
(Norwalk, Conn.) added 15 points, four assists and three steals to
her team-high eight rebounds. Junior Michelle Pellichero (Milltown,
N.J.) posted 10 points and seven assists for the Pioneers, while
sophomore Stephanie Summers (Atlantic City, N.J.) scored all six of
her points during the 16-6 run that ended the first half.
The Cougars return to action on Wednesday, January 31, when they
host NJAC South Division rival The College of New Jersey. Tip-off
is set for 6 p.m.
