In their returns to NJAC conference play on January 7, both the William Paterson Pioneers and TCNJ Lions went 4-0. Winning the majority of their games during this span in blowout fashion. Setting the stage for a matchup between a hot team in TCNJ, looking to prove they are better than their 8-8 record, and the Pioneers, who sought to reach a 16-1 record.
The first strike of this contest would be delivered by the Pioneers as star forward Patty Walsh missed a layup, but would get her own rebound and make the putback layup. From the start through the middle part of the first quarter, it was a defensive battle. As both teams rarely gave the opposition even a decent look, and even when they did, neither unit capitalized on those opportunities.
Towards the end of the first quarter, things began to heat up just slightly, as TCNJ guard Cassidy Brown made a three-pointer off the catch. Then, when it appeared the possession for the Pioneers was dead to rights, Walsh somehow made something out of nothing. As she put her head down, drove to the paint, and converted a floater even though she was fouled. To cap off this quarter, Amanda Baylock forced Mattison Chiera to bite on a pump fake, causing her to fly by. Thus, creating a wide-open look from three, which Baylock made, putting TCNJ down 14-11 going into the second quarter.
The second quarter would continue as a defensive battle. This was evident on the very first play of this quarter as it started with Walsh blocking a layup attempt by Brooke McFadden. For most of the second quarter, neither team could create real separation from the other.
William Paterson and TCNJ were both stout defensively. As the Lions would hold William Paterson to 10 points, 4-16 shooting from the field, and 0-4 from three. While the Pioneers somehow did even better as they held TCNJ to less than double-digit points this quarter. TCNJ only scored nine points, shot 4-20 from the field, and 1-7 from three. Going into halftime, it felt like it was either team’s game despite William Paterson being up 24-20.
That would all change in the third quarter once William Paterson coach Erin Monahan called a timeout early in the quarter. After this, the Pioneers would put their foot on the gas and never look back. William Paterson would ramp up their defensive pressure even more as they went into a full-court press, forcing TCNJ to pass the ball out of bounds.
Renee Wells would then make a pull-up two-point jumper. Jada Jacobs made a driving layup, then she got in the passing lane and stole the ball, leading to the Pioneers getting out in transition. She proceeded to pass the ball to Chiera for a layup, giving the Pioneers their largest lead of the game at this point with a score of 33-23.
This forced TCNJ head coach Chessie Jackson to call a timeout as she knew the momentum was in William Paterson’s favor. After the timeout, the Pioneers would continue to build on this momentum. On the first play following the timeout, the Pioneers came out in a full-court press where Jacobs made a steal and then took it to the rim herself, making an and-one layup.
Walsh scored on a layup after Jacobs got downhill, drew the held defender, and made a great laydown pass to her. To end the third quarter, Wells put on a nice display of footwork in the post, faking out two defenders trying to trap her as she went on to make a layup, giving the Pioneers a 44-32 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter saw William Paterson sustain their lead, as Wells made a three-pointer by banking it off the glass. While there were some sloppy turnovers by Chiera and Kaelyn Gowdy down the stretch, the lead was too much of a gap for the Lions to make up. The Pioneers would come away with the victory, winning 61-47, holding TCNJ to their lowest point total of the season.
