After starting the season 10-0, the William Paterson Pioneers women’s basketball team suffered their first loss of the year, losing 64-43 to John Hopkins University in their first game of the John Hopkins tournament. In the second game, they bounced back with a blowout 93-33 win against Medgar Evers College.
Entering this game, Kean University came into the game with a record of 1-8. Coming off a home 74-50 loss to New Jersey City University (NJCU), to send them off into a three-week break.
The first blow of the contest would be delivered by Kean from a layup by Dacia Mack. To conclude their hot start to the game, Peyton Smith would knock down a three-pointer from the top of the key, giving Kean a 7-2 lead. Pioneers coach Erin Monahan immediately called a timeout as her anger with William Paterson’s sloppy play to start the game was all over her face.
After getting grilled by Monahan during the timeout, William Paterson would respond strongly. With scores coming from their upperclassmen in Patty Walsh, Mattison Chiera, and Rene Wells to set the new tone. But bench player Megan Sears would be the one to cap off their comeback.
In the same play sequence, Sears would block Rae McClarty’s layup, secure the rebound, and dish it to Luna Kirby for a wide-open layup, giving William Paterson a 14-9 lead, forcing a timeout by Kean’s head Tasha Pointer. The Pioneers, propelled by a Spears layup, a Walsh putback layup attempt, and a Chiera catch-and-shoot three-pointer, would end the first quarter with a 21-13 lead.
Kean still had some life heading into the second quarter, but William Paterson would swiftly take away any hope the Cougars had left. After a great backdoor by Chiera, Wells would find her for a wide-open layup. Then, after she played great defense at the point of attack on Cara McCoy, Wells would swipe down at the ball, get the seal, then pushing in transition, hit Chiera for an open layup, giving the pioneers a 27-15 lead. Making head coach Pointer call a timeout.
This was the start of William Paterson truly creating separation in this match. Despite freshman forward Makaila Desire scoring in back-to-back possessions after the timeout. The downpour from the Pioneers was too much for Kean to contain. With catch and shoot three pointers from Wells and Kirby, a Chiera floater, and Walsh converting an open mid-range jumper in transition, the Pioneers would go into halftime with a 38-24 lead.
The Pioneers continued their dominance into the third quarter. Starting the quarter off on a 17-4 run, during this stretch, Walsh would get fouled on a layup attempt and make both free throws. Jada Jacobs would swing the ball to Kirby, who would knock down an open catch and shoot three-pointer, force Desire to commit a traveling violation, and Jacobs would secure an offensive rebound, doing a pump fake to open up a pass to Walsh, who made a layup.
Walsh would convert two putback layups, Jacobs chased in an open catch and shoot three from the top of the key, Wells, after getting fouled, made both free throws, and to put a bow on this run, Sears made a layup in transition off a hit ahead pass from Wells. Immediately after her layup, coach Pointer called a timeout as the Pioneers had taken off to a 55-28 lead. But at that point, it was all she wrote.
The rest of the game was smooth sailing for William Patterson as they would go on to secure the victory, winning 74-48. After this contest, the Pioneers now hold the best overall record at 12-1 and the best record in NJAC games at 5-0. The Cougars dropped their fifth loss out of their past six games and have the worst overall record in the NJAC at 1-9, and second worst record in NJAC games at 1-5.
